The Chosen
by lion-chan1595
Summary: In the Kingdom of Mariejois, King Akainu rules over the land with an iron fist. And Zoro, a bounty hunter, seeks to defeat their king to fulfill a childhood promise. But when a strange boy wearing a straw hat descends from the sky, Zoro's world gets turned upside down, and he must learn the true meaning of friendship and trust in order to succeed in his goals. Fantasy AU ZoxSan
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! After years of being a recluse and only writing a few one shots here and there, I'm ready to share some of my ideas with you in terms of story telling. But I have some things I want to tell you up front:**

**One, I am planning on making this a relatively long story. I also plan on updating once every month or so rather than every week. I prefer to go through my chapters very carefully, since I want the story to be as good as possible. **

**Two, the story is at parts relatively dark and/or gory, but there is going to be a good ending, even if it may be emotional. I wouldn't make you stay with me for potentially a few years and give you **_**only**_** angst~ Three, the pairings I have set so far are Zoro/Sanji and Franky/Robin, and if I have any others, I will let you know~**

**In terms of reviews I have a few requests: You can review however you normally review, but I would like it if you could please critique **_**AT LEAST **_**one thing. Whether it be grammar, spelling, word choice or sentence structure, please tell me how you'd change it. My goal for this story is to make it as wonderful as possible, and critiques are a great way to do that. **

**I know that this story probably won't be that popular since it's not centered around a pairing, but, I really love writing this story, so to those of you who do read it, please enjoy~**

xxx

_In a world not so different from ours, __there is a country called Mirinduil.  
>In this country, things we could never imagine take place.<br>Great beasts known as the geist walk the earth, humans wield magic, and weapons come to life.  
>And the one who began of all of this is the Guardian of Creation, Danu.<em>

_In the days of old, the Guardian and her sister, Arwyn, would watch over Mirindiul together.  
>Each would work to ensure the peace of their great nation, and to protect its' people;<br>So much so that they began to call the sisters their Goddesses.  
>However, Arwyn was jealous of her great sister, who was given lavish amounts of adulation from their followers.<br>__Slowly, despairing in vanity and greed, she fell into corruption.  
><em>_And so the Great War between Light and Darkness began._

_Over the centuries, Arwyn began to seek out ways to bring the country under her control.  
>Danu, strong in will and strength, would go to face every one of these challenges alone.<br>She battled armies of undead, great monsters of the deep, and natural calamities that threatened all amongst many other ordeals.  
>However, the amounts of enemies Danu had to face on her own increased.<br>__Men and monsters who reviled Danu began to aid Arwyn in her attempt to overthrow her sister.  
>And one by one, each city became overrun by Arwyn's powerful magic.<em>

_Danu drove her body to exhaustion, and eventually, she too fell._

_Battle weary and worn, Danu lay beneath her sister's gaze, subject to the ridicule and pain tormented upon her.  
>She looked up at her sister, once her confidant and best friend, and used her last reserves of magic to call for help.<br>Someone, anyone, who could save her country from the madness of her sister. _

_And so, the Legend of the Chosen began. _

xx

_~8 years ago...~_

The young boy glared hatefully at the door, where King Akainu's soldiers had left only moments ago. Koshiro stood beside him, silent. In the heat of the moment, attacking the King's men seemed the logical choice. When they had stormed in out of nowhere on the peaceful training day, demanding that they consent to military control of their dojo, Zoro had been livid. He had immediately confronted them, harshly declaring that their dojo had been in their possession for generations, and that he would die before giving over their dojo to the King.

They had quickly learned that he was not "an insipid urchin" once he had given them each a sound lashing that sent them running, and although he felt only fury before, his adrenaline was wearing away into worry. He had broken one of Koshiro's rules of swordsmanship, to never let your emotions influence your sword arm.

Now, Zoro waited, worry and panic crawling up his throat, for Koshiro to quietly reprimand him for not upholding the honorable way of the sword in the way he knew would twist his heart in every direction. Tears of both anger and worry bubbled up as the swirling emotions inside threatened to overwhelm him. He jolted when he felt a hand gently settle on his head, and heard his steady voice "I'm proud of you, Zoro."

Zoro gritted his teeth as hot tears now rolled freely down his face, and nodded before he heard his teacher's footsteps pad away from him towards his room.

He tightened his grip on his wooden bouken, and after a few more moments, he furiously scrubbed his tears away. The only evidence that he had been crying now was the red tinge to his nose and eyes. He breathed shakily, desperately trying to dispel the roiling emotions in his stomach. If Koshiro could be so calm about this, so could he!

Zoro walked outside, still holding his bouken, and took in landscape before him. The dojo was at the edge of the village, and had the most beautiful view of the valley ahead of them, filled with wild flowers and trees. He truly loved living here with Koshiro and Kuina. Not only was he challenged to improve his swordsmanship, but he had family now. He could watch the sun set without fear of the night, and simply appreciate its beauty.

He let this calm settle over him, trying to focus on what Koshiro had taught him about meditation. He sat down and listened to everything, closing his eyes and taking it in. He heard footsteps coming towards him, and could determine that it was Kuina from the lighter, almost silent footsteps. "Zoro"

He heard her sit down next to him, and opened his eyes to see her looking at her feet.

He turned away from her, feeling the surge of anger he felt before rise "I don't regret attacking them. They won't take away Koshiro's dojo."

His voice was calmer than he thought it would be, but it still seemed too strangled. He hit himself mentally for letting Kuina see him like this. He yelped as she elbowed him in the gut and glared at her, about to snarl an insult, but stopped when he saw her smiling at him. She turned away from him to look at the valley as he had been a few moments ago "Zoro, did you ever hear about the stories of the Chosen when you were younger?"

Zoro looked at her quizzically "What?"

Kuina grinned, something that could be simple, but she used her smile right now to mock him. "Should I take that as a no?"

Zoro bristled at that "Just because I don't know about some stupid Chosen people doesn't mean you should make fun of me!"

Kuina laughed at him and he pouted from being laughed at, but let her keep talking. Kuina quieted from laughing, and still smiling, continued. "Anyways, like I was saying, they're a legend- I read about them in the village library. Apparently, in times of trouble, Danu calls on heroes from other worlds to come to our aid, and they come down from the sky on pillars of colored lights…" Zoro cut in "What, so you expect some random people to come along just because some stupid lady that doesn't even exist talked to them?"

Kuina frowned "Idiot! Danu exists! And I believe in them because of the stories about them... There's no way that there were enough creative people to create the crazy stories I've read! They're supposed to have a Geist, Magic AND Celestine Weapons!"

Zoro's eyes widened in surprise before he regained his condescending expression. "Stupid! There's nobody in the world that can have all three at once! It's almost impossible to even master one!"

Kuina smiled, seeing his initial expression "That's what makes them so powerful! And I think that if they come for us, we'll be able to get rid of Akainu… That's what I think. Then Koshiro won't have to give up his dojo to him, and we'll be safe from the draftings…"

Kuina looked down. It looked sad, but it almost looked more frustrated "Well… At least you'll be safe from the draftings…"

Zoro furrowed his eyebrows "What do you mean by that? Why wouldn't you be safe too?"

Kuina punched him in the shoulder "Idiot! I didn't mean it like that... I'm a girl, Zoro. That means I'm supposed to wait around here and play damsel in distress while idiots like you fight in a pointless war."

Zoro stared at Kuina in disbelief. He had never once thought of Kuina as a damsel in distress. He couldn't even beat her if his life depended on it! He turned away from her and settled his chin on his knee, speaking in a low voice

"Do you really believe that the strength to fight depends on something so idiotic as gender?"

He saw Kuina shift to look at him with a sad look in her eyes, and he met her gaze. He knew this look.

A few months ago, Zoro had overheard an argument Kuina had had with her father about the inheritance of the dojo. She had worn this same expression of defeat after her father told her she could not inherit the dojo, and he couldn't stand this look on her. He took a deep breath and held eye contact with her, speaking purposefully.

"When you say stupid things like that, you make me look bad. I've been training forever to get to your level! There's absolutely no excuse for weakness. It's simply if you trained enough or not. "

Kuina's face twisted in an expression that he couldn't name "Hey wait how can you-"

Zoro cut her off and looked back at the sunset "Look, Kuina. Let's make a deal" He felt a grin growing on his face from the excitement of a challenge "Someday, one of us will become strong enough to take down even the King's armies, and it won't be because of our genders!"

Kuina was speechless again, and he knew he did good. But instead of a quiet response as he had expected to, he heard laughter. Kuina was laughing! "Oi! What the hell are you laughing for!" Kuina took a few minutes to calm down, and wiped a mirthful tear from her eye "Nothing—I'm just proud to have you as my little brother"

Zoro's face turned beet red, and Kuina met his gaze head on "It's a deal Zoro: We'll compete to be the best! Just don't cry when you lose!" Zoro grinned back at her "Right back at you!"

In that moment, despite the fear and anger Zoro felt in the pit of his stomach, he truly believed that with Kuina by his side, he could do anything.

xxx

A month later, Zoro splashed water on his face after a bout of sparring with the children in the dojo. It had been been a long day of training, and his muscles ached with the physical exertion he had put on them. The King's men had not shown up after the month's worth of vigorous beatings he and Kuina gave them, and he felt safe again. He sighed with the sounds of the crickets waking up, and watched the fireflies coming out on the valley. Smiling, he walked back inside to see Koshiro drinking tea and reading the newspaper, and Kuina quietly polishing her sword, Wadou Ichimonji. Zoro grinned when he saw a small smile on her face "What are you so happy about, idiot?" Kuina turned and grinned at at him "What do you think, stupid?"

Their childish name calling caused a nonsensical round of laughter, and they held their sides laughing without even knowing the reason. Zoro sat down with them and ate the snacks on the table while trying to distract Kuina from her polishing until they went to sleep for the night.

That evening would be Zoro's last memory of true happiness.

xxx

Zoro woke up with a start to someone screaming, and saw an unfamiliar red glow outside his window. Fear gripped his heart and he jumped out of the bed, grabbing his bouken that he kept in the room, and ran outside. "Koshiro! Kuina!"

Zoro ran down the stairs, screaming their names, and he heard their yelling and the metallic clang of swords hitting against each other. He came out into a now flaming dojo to see both Koshiro and Kuina fighting against the King's men, each fighting against an overwhelming amount of soldiers. Zoro stared in horror as he watched Kuina slash down her enemies, physical exertion and blood apparent on her face. Koshiro saw Zoro out of the corner of his eye and in a voice louder than he ever thought possible from him, he yelled "Zoro! Don't panic! Focus on the training!"

Zoro's pounding heart wouldn't stop panicking, but he tried as hard as he could to repel the soldiers now coming at him from seemingly all directions. His mind became a blurry haze of tears and flames, and he screamed in agony as he hit his opponents, knocking them down with his wooden bouken.

These were far more advanced enemies; The men they had sent before were almost embarrassingly easy to get rid of, but these men were completely out of their league. It took everything he had to keep them at bay. He pulled all of his training together, slicing his bouken through the air to make contact with the backs of their knees and their heads to knock them out. But when he finally managed to bring one down, another would take his place. Zoro began to realize their purpose in coming had not been to force them into submission, but to make an example of them.

The physical exertion had begun to wear him down, and he couldn't even assess how Kuina and Koshiro were. As he felt his body beginning to betray him, his footing slipped and suddenly everything was in slow motion.

The soldier currently attacking him had seemed different from the others- More reserved in his attacks, as if he didn't actually want to be fighting Zoro. Now as the soldier saw his weakness, he lunged forward and grabbed Zoro by the cuff of his shirt. Zoro was so exhausted by now he couldn't even struggle, and as he took what he knew were his last breaths, he looked into the soldier's eyes and saw regret there. He heard Kuina screaming his name , but he couldn't do anything other than stare into this soldier's eyes. He saw the soldiers mouth move, into shapes he would later recognize as "I'm sorry."

The sword tightened against his neck, and he saw darkness.

xxx

Zoro stirred to the smell of burning. He tried to recount what happened, and his body jolted when the memories of the attack on Koshiro's dojo poured into his minds eye.

The attack had been so brutal, and he had never been so scared in his entire life. His eyes squeezed shut. Even without opening them, tears found their way out. He breathed in and out harshly, trying to quell the panicking nauseated feeling he felt in his stomach. He then realized it was extremely difficult to breath not because of the smoke, but because there was a heavy weight on him.

He struggled to push against it with his head, but pain blossomed in his neck and he cried out as he gripped his sliced neck gingerly. He took deep breaths to will the pain away, and he placed his hands on the ground, trying to find a grip with his blood stained hands. He pushed again, this time with his back rather than his head. As he pushed the weight away, the smells of the outside world attacked him with the stench of blood and burning. His eyes watered at the smell, but he kept pushing until he was free, and took in the scene with horror.

The dojo was destroyed. While most of the structure still stood, everything was burnt and charred. Parts of the ceiling caved and the door that led to their home was blocked by a plank of wood. The tatami surrounding him was still smoldering, flickering at him with a dying light. It was as though he could feel the very life of the dojo withering away around him. When he looked to his right, it took everything he had not to vomit where he sat.

The weight that had been covering him was Koshiro.

Zoro's eyes watered at the sight. Koshiro's expression was calm, almost peaceful compared to the brutality inflicted upon him. Bruises and soot covered his face, and his body still had not stopped the bleeding coming from wounds hidden under his kimono. His entire backside was burnt to the point of being unrecognizable as human flesh... The charred red bumps and dents that made up Koshiro's back were disgusting piles of bubbled flesh, some pieces burned off to expose bones that made up Koshiro's body… Zoro realized looking at him, that even with his wounds, and despite the fact that even _Zoro_ thought he was dead, Koshiro mutilated his own body to protect his... To the point of death.

Death... What... What had happened to Kuina?...

He was terrified to look to his left, but the need to know was too strong, and he turned his head.

He couldn't even respond.

Unlike Koshiro, Kuina's face was bloodied and bruised. Zoro willed his eyes to stay there forever, and let these wounds be the only ones on Kuina's body in his mind. However, he knew this couldn't be the truth, and bore through looking at the rest of her. Her entire body was covered in slashes and lacerations. Zoro could count at least four stabs wounds. But the worst part was not these injuries.

It was her torn clothing.

Zoro couldn't look anymore. He turned his eyes away from the blood coming from in between her legs, and the torn clothing that fully displayed her not-yet-fully grown body. Tears streamed from seeing his sister so utterly disrespected, and he couldn't hold it in any longer. With a sick contraction of his stomach, he retched the last dinner he had with the two corpses beside him.

He couldn't say how long he stayed there, motionless and empty. Despite it still being dark out, which meant that only a few hours since the initial attack had passed, it felt like eternity since he first woke up to the red glow outside his window. His body was still but his mind was racing a thousand miles per minute. He tried to imagine how the attack must had been after he had blacked out. The last thing he heard was Kuina's scream… What if in that moment she let down her guard and that was when… No. Koshiro would not have allowed it. He must have gone down first. His wounds still had not congealed, so he must have lost too much blood to keep consciousness before they attacked Kuina… And in the aftermath, he could see Koshiro, waking in a burned dojo, seeing his two only children murdered and raped… Although Zoro's body was too numb to make facial expressions, tears poured out of his eyes imagining Koshiro's agony of losing his two children, and not being able to protect them. His last action before he passed away… Of covering his children and protecting them from further harm.. Zoro wanted so badly to be able to shake Koshiro awake and hug him for all he was worth and thank him for being so kind… For still thinking of them when he had had everything taken away from him.

Zoro sat there, motionless, until the dawn came peaking over the countryside. It crept over slowly and touched Zoro. He felt the warmth of the sun grazing his knees, and looked up through blurred eyes.

Even with all the destruction around him, the valley was still intact, glowing gently as if in an attempt to ease Zoro's suffering. This was the same valley that he loved so much, that held so much happiness for him. This was the place Koshiro and Kuina made him their family. And as the warm sunlight lit his sooty tear-stained cheeks, Zoro closed his eyes to gather himself. He knew what he had to do now.

He stood, still refusing to look at his two family members, and limped through the ruins of their dojo and towards the door that led to his home. He crawled underneath the plank blocking most of the door, and picked his way gingerly through the rubble of the house. He found that a lot of the kitchen was intact, and after grabbing his bag, which he had thankfully left by the sink after washing it yesterday, he put in any food he could into the bag.

He climbed carefully up his stairs, checking each step to make sure it wouldn't cave, and when he finally made it to his room, he stepped slowly across the creaking floor. His room was mostly destroyed, but some things were safe. One of them was a picture of him with Kuina and Koshiro, which had fallen off of his bed stand. He knelt down in front of it, and he gently caressed the melted glass over the picture. He picked it up carefully, afraid it might crumble away, and put it into his bag. He bit back tears, and after he stuffed his undamaged clothes into his bag, he picked his way out of his room to Kuina's.

Her room was also destroyed, but her small dresser thankfully was mostly safe. Zoro opened the drawers gingerly and decided to pick out clothes he thought Kuina might have picked today if she could. He brushed his fingers gently through her clothes mournfully, but stopped when he heard a rustle. He lifted the shirt to see what caused the sound… And his heart clenched as he uncovered the same picture he had of them in her dresser. This time he didn't bother to stop the tears rolling slowly down his face. He ignored them and continued to choose Kuina's clothing through blurred eyes, and turned to leave the room.

He headed to Koshiro's room, which wasn't as damaged, and Zoro was able to find one of Koshiro's good robes as well as incense, and a box of matches. Zoro brought his findings downstairs, and stopped again in the kitchen to fill a bucket of water and grab a bundle of dish rags. He carefully carried everything out the back entrance and around to the front where the dojo was, and laid his things onto the ground before reaching into his bag for the first aid supplies that Koshiro made him keep.

He washed his face and gritted his teeth before he washed his neck. He couldn't see how deep the cut was, but the fact that his fingers could dip into the wound made his realize it was indeed a deep cut. He bore through washing his neck until no more dirt came away from the wound, and then gingerly patted it dry with one of the rags. He opened his first aid box and pulled out the cream Koshiro had given him to prevent infection, and mercilessly rubbed it into the wound before he grabbed a roll of bandages and wrapped his neck with the bandages. He felt around the bandages to make sure that he had covered the entire wound,and nodded when he deemed the job complete. He turned to the bucket and splashed some more water on his face, to prepare him for what he was about to do.

He climbed up the dojo stairs, and walked to the spot where Koshiro and Kuina lay. He still could not look at Kuina, and instead focused his energy into picking up and carrying Koshiro's body out of the dojo. He had to be careful about his neck. If he didn't, he was likely to damage the wound further. He got down more awkwardly on the stairs, and gently laid Koshiro in the front of the dojo. He then turned and went back in for Kuina. He gritted himself and determined that he would be able to get through this and be able to accept what had happened to her.

As he approached her, he noticed her hands were awkwardly underneath her, and as he got closer, he realized that she had been protecting Wadou Ichimonji, even as her body was mutilated and abused. Respect rushed through Zoro and he kneeled down next to her, brushing his fingers gently over her unmoving face "You died like a true swords master..."

He gently brought his hands under her body, and picked her up. The way he was carrying her, she almost looked like she was cradling her sword, and Zoro set his jaw before swearing to keep looking forward. Although she was lighter, this was so much harder for Zoro, and his footsteps were slow and heavy as he carried her next to Koshiro.

He knew, as he looked on the two of them laying side by side, that he would never forgive the King.

He carried the bucket and rags over to his family members' bodies, and he dipped one of the rags into the bucket. He gingerly cleaned Kuina's wounds, cleaning each gash and stab until they only left pink. After a few painful choked sobs, he gritted himself to clean the blood between her legs. He then grabbed Kuina's clothes, and awkwardly began to change her.

Looking at her, with cleaned wounds and clothes, she looked almost like she was sleeping, and Zoro sighed in relief, able to look at her without crying now.

He turned to Koshiro, and began the same process. After he cleaned the wounds however, he realized that Koshiro's robe wouldn't come off without ripping more skin off. He bit his lip, and simply covered Koshiro's burnt robe with his clean one so he wouldn't damage his body even further. He stepped back, and gave a small smile at his family members' lying next to one another.

He went down to the valley, and picked all of the flowers he could, bringing them back in giant piles to lay around them. After making piles he deemed worthy of his family, he went inside the dojo again and ripped out two planks that were attached to each other, and stabbed it into the ground above Koshiro and Kuina's heads. He ran back inside the house, grabbing Koshiro's special calligraphy brush, and wrote their names lovingly on the board before laying out Koshiro's incense, and lighting them.

Zoro sat back and looked down at Koshiro and Kuina.

The wind rustled their hair gently as the last rays of the sunrise had come out, making them seem to glow. He knew the students of the dojo would be here soon, and he had to leave before that. He couldn't stay here after everything had happened. He needed to get away. He saw Kuina still holding Wadou, and while he wanted to make sure her sword died with her, he also wanted to take Kuina with him, to fulfill their promise. Hesitantly, he pulled Kuina's fingers off of the white sword, and brought her hands together on her chest.

He turned away and gathered his bag with food, placing Koshiro's brush in his bag, feeling as though this way he could take both of their spirits with him. He looked back one last time at his family. The image of the flowers surrounding the two of them with the backdrop of their destroyed dojo burnt itself forever in his mind before he turned away, and walked towards the sun.

xxx

**And that's the prologue! I will be uploading some images in the next few days that I am drawing for this project. I will be tagging them #thechosen so feel free to check them out at my tumblr blog lion-chan1595 in the next few days**

**Last note, after this, I will not be writing any author's notes unless a very specific issue comes up. Thank you guys again for reading the first chapter, and I'll see you again soon for the next one!**


	2. Chapter 1

xxx

Zoro awoke from the dream with tears in his eyes, and as he tried to recover from the flood of memories that assaulted him, he ground the palms of his hands against his eyes. Shit… He hadn't dreamt about Kuina for a long time now… Yet, in moments like these, the grief came back so strongly as if her death had happened just yesterday.

As his breathing calmed down and he was convinced that the wetness at his eyes had gone away, he reflected on his conversation with Kuina, about the Chosen.

Well, they sure as hell hadn't come for them 8 years later, and even at 20 years old he still wasn't confident in his abilities to kill the King. He got disheartened by this many times, but he only had to remember Kuina's determined eyes to restore his conviction to fulfill their promise… It was all he lived for now.

Zoro let out a long breath and decided that it was time to wake up. It was a bad idea to get nostalgic when he should be focused on training. The sun was just rising and the forest around him was being lit in the most spectacular ways: the sun's rays peaked through the leaves and made it seem as though the light was dancing around him joyously. He gave a small smile as the light's dancing was accompanied by the sounds of animals waking up and beginning their daily chatter. Ever since he had left his home so many years ago, he had never taken up permanent housing, and honestly, he loved it. Wandering around nomadically made him happier, and allowed him to see beautiful sights like this that other people would not have.

Zoro stood up and began to pack up his small camp, folding his small blanket and packing it in his backpack. He slung the pack over his shoulder, and pulled out his crumpled map from his pocket, and resumed his search for the capital.

He knew his skill was not enough to kill the king just yet, but he needed a way to survive in the meantime, and capturing wanted thieves and bandits was a good way to get some cash and potentially have some good practice for swordsmanship. However, unless you went to the capital for information, it could take a long time to hear who was on the list. The woman he had become friends with in the last town had said that the capital was only two days away, but she had to have been mistaken because he had been looking for a week and there was still no sign of the capital. He scratched his head in frustration grimacing. "Ahh I'll figure it out eventually!"

He began walking again, deciding he would just follow his instincts, and began his trek through the forest, keeping his senses alert.

Interestingly enough, Zoro noticed that after Akainu became king, there was a strange increase in monsters that lurked in the shadows. Before he remembered being able to play in the forest with Kuina without a single sign of scary creatures, but nowadays, children were only allowed to play within eyesight of their parents.

Already within this week he had been attacked twice by mire wolves, and last night he had had an attack from oversized bats before he settled down for sleep. Zoro wanted to think it was just coincidence, but he had a feeling that Akainu's rule had somehow had an effect on the influx of magical creatures.

Zoro rounded a corner of a rock pile and stopped. He had been walking for a few hours already, but he could've sworn that he had seen the strange tree in front of him an hour earlier. It had twisted branches that seemed to beckon him to come inside, and had a large hole that could easily fit a few people inside. He stared at it for several moments "Hmm... But it can't possibly be the same one... Oh well. I guess the trees in this area must be similar."

Just as he was about to continue on his search, he heard a quiet crunch of leaves behind him. His eyes narrowed, pricking his ears for further movement, and decided he'd continue on his way still listening. As he took another step, he heard a soft twang and twisted around just in time to deflect a loosed arrow with the top of his sword's blade. He completely unsheathed his sword and twisted once more to meet metal with a man who had just jumped out of the bushes. His eyes focused on the dark trees and saw that there was a figure in the shadows. Most likely female by the build; her stance suggested she was the one who loosed the arrow. There was another man who waited, his stance suggested fright, and did not approach him. The one who faced Zoro now had a manic grin and he licked his stubbled face in excitement. "Here you! You realize you've been wandering around in circles for the past hour aren't ya!"

Zoro grimaced as the man's rancid and sour breath wafted across his skin. Stalled by his cringe, the man continued on, moving his weight from one foot to the other and speaking in a loud voice. "Hey you! You deaf? Ey Darcy! John! We got ourselves here a deaf and a dunce!

The girl gave a harsh guffaw and the man chuckled nervously. Zoro rolled his eyes and decided to take action. As the man turned back to ridicule Zoro further, his face widened in shock as the pummel of Zoro's sword crushed into his diaphragm. He collapsed to the ground wheezing, and Zoro leaned down to grab two rocks, pelting them at the two characters in the forest. Each hit in the middle of both of their foreheads', making painfully resounding thwacks before they collapsed to the ground.

He turned back to the man, who still laid breathing heavily on the ground. Zoro bent over him, plucked a bag of money from his side and grinned evilly. "I'm not deaf or a dunce. Good day." He kicked the man in the side, effectively knocking out the man, and continued on his way. Such a shame that he didn't know where the city was yet. If it wasn't that long, he could've gotten some pocket change from turning those three in. But it was hardly worth lugging them around half of the forest trying to find the capital… Oh well.

Zoro continued on for a bit before deciding it was time to take a lunch break. He sat against a tree and pulled out the bread and salted meat the woman who gave him directions made him take. She was a nice woman and had an adorable kid that always tried to make him sweets… Even if sweets were not his favorite by any means, he couldn't turn away the girl's offerings and had become good friends with that particular family. It had reminded him of being able to belong, but as always, that time always ended.

As he finished up his meal, Zoro heard yet another noise. But this was not the rustle of leaves, nor the sound of animals chattering.

It was a human voice, singing.

Zoro, although slightly irked by the fact he had been disturbed, was very curious about the voice. It must mean he was close to the capital!

He put away his left over bread and meat, and set out to find the source of the voice.

Luckily for him, Zoro's keen sense of hearing was capable of overriding what he already accepted to be a pretty shoddy sense of direction. He followed the hauntingly beautiful voice through the trees and moss-blanketed ground, until he saw a figure in the distance.

From here he could hear the voice clearly, and he hid behind a tree to listen. He had thought at first that it might be some forlorn and love struck girl from the city- That would almost make sense since he must be close to the capital, and the people there were rich and well protected, letting them worry about the lesser problems such as love.

But it certainly was not a woman. The crisp baritone that washed over his ears proved that point; he wondered if the man he was listening to was even from the capital, since he was singing in a language he had never heard of before. Zoro crept closer, attempting to make out what the man looked like. As he came close enough for the man to come in focus, his eyes widened. His hair was so blonde!...He had never seen anybody with blonde hair… It just never happened with people in this country. Even his green hair was more common than someone with blonde hair!But looking at it now, it was entrancing... Although his hair was short, it did not detract from the glowing effect the sunlight filtering down from the trees caused.

Zoro raked his vision across the blonde's profile. He was thinner than he was, but the tension in the muscles in his legs and arms promised power and grace. His jaw was chiseled, and led down into a sloping neck. He sat on a rock in the opening, singing while looking at something in his hands. Zoro wondered what he was looking at so sadly. The man wore beautiful clothes, which looked like they were made out of only the finest materials. Beautiful shimmering light blue silk wrapped around his body, and sparkles peeked around the clothing where jewels no doubt were. This coupled with the overwhelmingly obvious beauty of the blonde entranced Zoro, but he frowned. If he looked closely, he realized that the clothes and the blonde's skin were marred by dirt and blood.

He hadn't noticed how close he had gotten to the mysterious blonde man, and Zoro jolted when the man's singing stopped and his face jerked upwards to look at him with wide eyes. Zoro could see the fear and nervousness in the bright blue eyes, and Zoro's heart squeezed unconsciously at those blue eyes staring deep into him. He was sure that they held that gaze for hours, but it seemed like too soon when the man stood from his place on the rock, and Zoro raised his hand to stop him "Wait-"

He didn't get to finish as the blonde bolted before he could say another word. Zoro grimaced. Stupid pretty boy though he could get away from him? As if! He gave a feral grin and chased after the blonde, running around the trees and jumping over logs. After two minutes of this the grin fell off his face. How the hell was the blonde so fast? Sure he had some muscles but how could he possibly be built enough to best Zoro so easily in a feat like this?

Lost in these thoughts, Zoro didn't notice the impending collision course he was on with a tree, and smacked into it, stopping his chase of the blonde who had by now disappeared in the tree line.

Zoro groaned, and peeled himself from the tree, rubbing at his cheekbone where the bark had collided and cut into his skin. Well, that hadn't gone so well.

Zoro looked into the distance, hoping to catch sight of the shining blonde hair he had been graced to see. He sighed when he saw the man was gone… Well, at least he had been able to see it. Blonde hair like that was a once in a lifetime opportunity after all.

Zoro turned and sat, opening his bag to get his first aid supplies out. As he treated his cuts, he thought back on the injuries that blonde had displayed earlier.

His blood boiled at the thought of the blonde being hurt. He could tell he had some level of strength, seeing as how he was capable of outrunning Zoro, and didn't know why someone with that sort of strength would allow himself to get beaten up to that point.

Zoro supposed it could be a result of their new World Government. They always went on about their extreme versions "Justice," doling out cruel punishments for crimes ranging from stealing bread to murder. Zoro sighed… Ever since Akainu had taken over when he was a kid, the government had taken on an entirely different meaning.

He sighed. Although he had felt a strong connection to the blonde in the moments he had heard him sing and had held his gaze, he knew there was no conceivable way of trying to help him. Not only did he not have any information about him, but the capital, where he most likely ran, was filled with thousands of people. As much as Zoro wanted to help, it'd be like trying to find a needle in a haystack…

Bringing himself back to his own situation, he realized that since he had not been paying attention when he chased the blonde, he had no idea where he was now (Not that he knew in the first place). He looked around him, but nothing seemed familiar. But, on the bright side, he could see a break in the trees ahead, and having a clearing or a field would allow him to get a better grip on his location.

As he trekked towards the tree line, his ears were suddenly engulfed in a humming noise. What the shit was up with this day! It wasn't enough to loose bandits on him or send a beautiful singing man, but the world decided that it needed to make the earth itself hum and vibrate. Through the humming of the earth, he heard the whispering voice of a woman "The time of the prophecy has come. He has come for the sake of every one of you…"

The humming noise continued to get louder, and he held his hands on his ears and exclaimed "What the hell is going on?!"

As he groaned, trying to will the humming away, which he could now discern as people singing in a language he had never heard before, he saw a bright flash light up the sky, and a pillar of gold light came down from the flash.

Zoro's mouth went agape.

His mind immediately went to Kuina. "It's said that in times of trouble, Danu calls on heroes from other worlds to come to our aid, and they come down from the sky on pillars of colored lights…"

What the hell?

Was Kuina right? Did her legendary heroes finally come to release them from the tyranny of their King?...

He wanted to scoff at the idea, and roll it off his shoulders as another silly religious believer's hope that someone would come save them… But something inside of him, that part that held onto Kuina's conviction, refused to laugh. Following his instincts, Zoro found himself running towards the now fading lights.

xxx

Zoro's breath was pained because of his previous chase against the blonde, but he had to get to the pillar's location before it completely faded. He swords hit his side painfully as he ran, and his legs were starting to scream at him from the lack of oxygen running through them. He grinned as he realized he could see where the pillar touched the ground, and picked up his pace before his body could give out.

As he approached, he saw silhouettes in the fading light, and stopped running so he could regain his breath and composure. He wasn't sure if they would be the legendary heroes like Kuina said they would be, but he wanted to be able to speak when he made it.

The first person he was able to make out was a boy. Zoro frowned at that. Shouldn't heroes of their world be built warriors? This boy looked a little younger than him, had no armor, no geist, nothing. His clothes didn't seem normal either. He was wearing a very plain red top, and his pants were made out of a strange blue material he had never seen before. Zoro frowned even further when he saw the boys standing up to laugh childishly with his hand on the straw hat on the his head.

His companions were just as bad. There was another boy with him, that had the most peculiarly long nose that he thought was impossible to achieve, and his eyes seemed to dart in cowardly fear at the surroundings around him. What kind of warrior was that?

Lastly was another cowering figure, this one a woman. Her hair was bright orange, and Zoro's eyes widened to see that the woman was basically wearing underclothing! What kind of outfit is that, for man or woman?!

Zoro stopped trying to make it to the group. What kind of heroes were these? He mentally slapped himself in the face. How old was he now? How could he still believe something as silly as The Chosen?

The boy with the straw hat laughed and spoke to his companions "Woww that was a fun trip! I didn't know books could do that!"

The woman stood up abruptly and smacked him upside the head "You idiot! No book can do that!"

The boy looked quizzically at her "What are you talking about Nami? That book clearly brought us here!"

The woman called Nami sighed "I know, I know Luffy… Just!... It's not _normally_ what books do!"

While the two he now knew as Luffy and Nami were bickering, Zoro realized the other boy was staring in horror at him. He raised a shaking finger, pointing it at Zoro, and spoke in a stammering voice "L-luffy!... Namiiiii!..."

The two looked around at Zoro and Nami's face immediately froze. The cowering boy sprang from his spot and his legs began trembling violently as he spoke "D-Don't think you'll get away with this Akainu! Just know that I have 4 million men a-at my disposal and I won't hesitate to release their terror upon you!..."

Zoro blanched at that. Not only was he not Akainu, their King, but he also couldn't believe the boy had tried to tell him such a blatant lie. He was about to giving a seething retort when the boy called Luffy laughed "Hahaha that's not Akainu Usopp! Akainu is a lot bigger and had a weird outfit!"

Zoro narrowed his eyes. He needed to know if these people were seriously who Kuina thought them to be. "Who are you?"

The boy with a straw hat turned and looked him in the eyes, with a cocky smile on his face as he held Zoro's gaze head on. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy. I'm here to kick Akainu's ass! Nice to meet you!"

Zoro stepped forwards and hesitantly asked "Then... Does that mean you're The Chosen one?"

Luffy looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

Zoro's spirit's fell. He supposed that answered his question. Just some crazy kids that somehow came to his world through pillars of light… But then he remembered the woman's voice that he had heard. What the hell had that been about?

As Zoro thought to himself, the trio were chatting and talking about their present environment. But Zoro was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard a bone-chilling shriek.

Shit. The King's watchguard… Chosen or not, these guys had to get out of here. This field was way too open and if they were caught, they definitely would be killed without a second thought.

The girl Nami's eyes widened when she heard the shrieks "What… What was that?"

Zoro frowned "You have to get out of here. The King's watchguard is coming, and if they find you, you're dead…"

Nami looked at him "Dead?! Why would they kill us?!"

Zoro gritted his teeth. He didn't have time to explain, idiot! "There's no time for that, just follow me!"

He ran, not looking behind him. If he were found here, in the place where the pillars of light appeared, he would be killed as well.

He heard the thumps of the trio behind him, and he sped up. Luckily, he had been in this forest for a while, and remembered that particularly large tree with a huge hole that might be able to house the four of them while the guard scoured the area… If only he could remember where it was…

He pushed that thought away. He would definitely find it! He had to! They touched the forest line, and just in time. He looked behind him and saw the sky swarming with the undead black horses that made up the King's watchguard. He gritted his teeth and ran again, hoping against hope that they would be able to find the tree.

A minute later, relief flooded Zoro's system as he spotted the familiar tree, and urged the group inside, before uprooting a bush nearby and placing it in front of the tree.

He took a deep gulp of breath, and looked behind him at the people he was now trapped with. He sat down, took a deep breath, and figured he would take this time to figure out what the fuck was going on.

He spoke as softly as he could, keeping his ears pricked for the sounds of the army. "For now, this should be relatively safe… We're probably going to be in here until morning, so you might as well get comfortable."

The girl and the boy with the long nose gulped uncomfortably, but Monkey D. Luffy laughed quietly "Sounds like an adventure to me!" Zoro smiled, and figured he'd start with introductions. "My name is Zoro. What are your names again?" he said looking at the girl and long-nose.

The girl started first, sighing "Mine is Nami…"

The boy stuttered a lot once again, making Zoro raise an eyebrow "M-my name is clearly the Great C-captaaaain Usopp!"

Zoro looked at him unimpressed, and figured he'd move on. "So… You guys clearly aren't from the area."

Nami glowered "Yeah no kidding, like worlds away from the area"

Zoro's heart sped up at that. So they had come from another world, just like Kuina had said.

Luffy cut in. "I don't know what a Chosen is though. I just came here to kick Akainu's ass."

Zoro looked at him "I heard you before. How do you even know who he is though? You guys aren't from here after all. "

Luffy tilted down his strawhat "He killed my brother."

Zoro did a double take at that "Why would he do that?"

Luffy sighed, and took off the hat from his head. His friends held their hands in their laps, and kept quiet. Luffy spoke gently, which felt strange compared to his jittery excitement Zoro had experienced earlier.

"2 years ago, Akainu showed up at my home, shouting a bunch of crazy stuff about a prophecy and how he was the great Akainu and all that... I was younger, and weaker, and couldn't do anything to him!..."

Luffy looked up at Zoro, and gazed into Zoro's eyes. Zoro shivered, somehow feeling intimidated by the childish teen's stare. "But I did chase him. And I found an old house in the forest, and inside was a book. I've been training, and we finally opened it. The book brought us here."

Zoro held his gaze "What did the book say?"

Nami cut in "It said, 'You who holds the power of past present and future, take hold of your destiny and embrace your identity. If you so choose to accept your destined path, speak the 3 names and let our world surround you."

Zoro looked at her. So far, it was fitting to all that Kuina had told him. The destined path in the book must mean the prophecy of The Chosen, and the "our world" bit suggested that it was otherworldly. But…

"What were the three names?"

Nami bit her lip, as if afraid of repeating the names again.

"Rayleigh, Cutty Flam, and Olvia."

Zoro's eyes widened. He knew those names. Those were the names of the Trinity... The three followers of Danu, who each mastered one of the three forces in the world to enforce their goddesses ways.

Zoro opened his mouth to say this to Nami, but as he did, a chill went through him.

The watchguard.

He brought his hand to cover Usopp and Nami's mouths, feeling foolish for not warning them about what the watchguard's horses did.

His sweat suddenly felt cold, slithering down his body like a snake, sending chills into his heart. He heard the icy neighs of the horses, and in his minds eye he could see the unkempt, bloody hooves and the bloodshot murderous eyes. He felt the urge to scream in fear rise up in his throat, but forced it down.

He looked across to Nami and Usopp, glad that in his last moments of complete control he had covered their mouths. The strength in his hands seemed to bring enough pain to distract them from the fear the watchmen's undead horses caused. His eyes flicked to Luffy, and he was surprised to see that Luffy kept his head down, with a relaxed posture. His own muscles trembled in fear of the watchmen, and seeing this reaction was extremely foreign.

The watchmen's horses were sniffing for their scents; he could hear two coming closer and closer, and his breath stopped, preparing for the worst. Zoro hadn't noticed it, but his grip on Usopp's mouth had slackened, and just as he realized, he could sense a scream rising up out of Usopp.

But as he whispered not to yell, he realized he had no voice, and as he saw Usopp's mouth form a scream, he couldn't hear it. His lips pursed in confusion, but before he could contemplate any further, his legs gave out from under him and he realized he was falling into a hole where where the ground once was.

He and the others gave voiceless yells and screams, tumbling down a hole, seeing the inside of the tree disappear into the darkness.

xxx


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! For those of you who have already been reading, I edited a lot of the first chapter. I got a lot of people saying they were confused about the beginning, and that's fine since I was intentionally trying to leave some important information out, but I added some pieces in the beginning to make it more clear what was happening. **

**To all readers, I would encourage you to read through all of the chapters when I update, just because I _do_ take into account any reviews, through fanfiction and through my peers, so I am planning on being able to edit my chapters in order to make it the best it can be. **

**Again, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

xxx

He and the others were tousled and tossed through a labyrinth of tunnels, and when Zoro finally saw a light, they all tumbled into what seemed like a giant cave.

In a desperate attempt to maintain control, Zoro tried to stand up immediately despite still being dizzy and noted his surroundings. As his world began to stop spinning, Zoro peered through the dimly lit room they were now in. The source of light appeared to be a series of glowing rocks placed strategically so you could just peer through the darkness, and as Zoro looked closer, it appeared that the walls of the cave had been carved out by claws… This matched only one thing he had heard of.

Burrowers.

"Shit."

Zoro grabbed Nami and Usopp by their arms, and dragged them behind him, ignoring their protests of being in pain from his grip, and pulled out his swords. He didn't know if he could fight off Burrowers with them in the way, and he wasn't taking that risk. As he got into a fighting stance, a line of Burrowers marched into the clawed cave they had found themselves in.

Zoro cursed his luck as the mole-people walked into the room. He had never seen one in person before, but so far, they matched the stories he had heard. Their humanoid figures were hulked over from bending constantly to get through their tunnels, and beady yellow eyes peered out from underneath hoods, which hid the features of their faces. Their hands were terrifyingly large, and held enormous claws that even in this light he could see dirt and blood crusted on.

Zoro held his ground, daring the mole-men to try and fight him. He saw Luffy step up next to him in his peripherals, and although he did not know if the man could fight, he focused back on the Burrowers. Even if he couldn't fight, maybe just numbers could intimidate them.

He saw a ripple in the line of Burrowers, and his eyes widened to see a human woman walk out from the crowd. Her blue eyes were piercing, and her black hair framed her angular face gracefully. Zoro kept his form tense, wanting to see if the woman posed a threat to them. She took a few steps forward and began to speak. "The Burrowers will not harm you. Please lower your weapons.

Zoro bristled "How the hell can I trust you, a woman who walks among them so nonchalantly?" The woman held his gaze disapprovingly, and Zoro almost felt cowed by the harsh glint in her eyes. Almost, anyways. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw Luffy's hand come in front of his swords. "Put down your swords, Zoro."

Zoro gritted his teeth in anger. How dare this monkey go around giving him orders! He didn't have any idea how dangerous these people were! He turned to say just that to the idiot when he saw a giant grin and shining eyes plastered on Luffy's face. "Don't worry! They're not bad people!"

Zoro blinked. He wanted to yell at Luffy, and tell him how very wrong he was, but something in the boy's pure smile made him falter. He slowly brought his weapons down, keeping his eyes locked with Luffy's. What the hell compelled him to listen?

Luffy nodded approvingly, and turned his attention to the raven haired woman. "My name is Luffy! And I like you guys! What's your name?"

Zoro wanted to slap himself for trusting Luffy in that one moment. What had he expected when he let this idiot lead the conversation?

At least the woman seemed to take amusement in Luffy's words, and laughed gently before replying "I know who you are, Monkey D. Luffy, and I like you as well. My name is Robin, and I am simply a woman who lives with the Burrowers.

She placed a friendly hand on the shoulder of the Burrower next to her, and the the yellow eyes seemed to turn upwards as if it were smiling. Though in this light it was impossible to tell.

As if on command, the Burrowers began to file out one after another until only Robin and the Burrower she had put a hand on remained. Said Burrower stepped forward on clawed and furry feet until he stood right in front of Luffy. From here, Zoro could make out the outlines of the Burrowers face. He could seen an elongated snout that sniffed at the air, and protruding canines with jaw muscles that promised a powerful bite. His skin, while mostly covered in fur, seemed aged and pale from being in darkness all the time. The Burrower spoke to Luffy in a raspy voice that somehow sounded like dry and cracking earth. "You came to us at an unfortunate location, O Chosen One. Appearing before us at the gates of your enemy's stronghold was not a wise choice"

Luffy crossed his arms, unfazed by the mole-man's intimidating voice. "Hey, it's not like I chose where I showed up! I just ended up here!"

The yellow eyes turned upwards in a smile again, and his snout lifted to show a wide and honestly terrifying grin with sharp teeth. "Indeed. It seems fortune still favors you, since you chose one of our secret passages as your hiding place. There are not many others, and had you chosen another place to hide, the watchguard would have most certainly discovered you."

Luffy laughed good-naturedly, as though he and the Burrower were discussing their favorite ice cream flavors. "Hahaha well, Zoro picked it for us! How lucky!"

The Burrower nodded, seeming satisfied."You may stay here for the night. The watchguard should cease their search for you by morning."

He then turned to the woman named Robin. "If it will not burden you, we would prefer if you allowed them to sleep in your quarters. Many of our people, especially our elders, get nervous with strange humans so close."

Robin nodded "Of course Chief Chochmö. I have much to discuss with them, in any case."

The Burrower brought his clawed hand up to her shoulder before turning and walking away. Robin watched him leave before turning back to the group. Her smile was mysterious, but in a way seemed excited as well. "I'm sure you all have many questions, but please wait until we reach my room to discuss them at length."

"Oh! Oh! Do you have food? I'm starving!"

Robin laughed at Luffy bouncing around asking his question "Yes of course. It should actually be there by the time we arrive, actually. Please follow me."

Luffy cheered and began to follow Robin excitedly. Zoro turned to help a still cowering Usopp to his feet before turning to follow her as well. Usopp trailed after them nervously.

"H-hey Luffy are you sure we'll be safe here?... I- I mean, I'm not scared at all but I'm… pretty positive I saw blood on his… Claws?..."

Luffy grinned "They're good guys Usopp! We'll be fine!"

Zoro rolled his eyes as Usopp shivered, and turned to see if Nami would chip into the topic of safety here. He was surprised to see zero emotional response in the girl, and even more that she seemed very pensive and deep in thought.

Robin asked that they remain quiet until they reached her room, as the Burrowers were extremely sensitive to noise, so the walk there was ominous to say the least. The tunnels were less lit than the ones they had come through, and many times he saw piercing yellow eyes through the darkness, watching their movements.

Robin finally stopped in front of a real door rather than carved out rooms, and let everyone in and closed her door before turning on the lights.

The sudden brightness made Zoro's eyes water, since his eyes had acclimated to the darkness in the time he had arrived here. The room itself was refreshing compared to the mole's tunnels, filled with bookcases, upholstery and carpets that made the room seem more comfy than it would have been without. "You can sit wherever you like. The food is on the table right there so feel free to begin eating!"

"Woo hoo! I'm starving!"

Luffy practically pounced on the food, munching away at the meat set out for them. Nami and Usopp sat close together, eating small amounts of food, as though scared of what the contents of their meal was. Zoro sat a bit farther away from the group, sitting on the ground with his swords in hand, just in case.

The first few minutes were comfortable, with Luffy eating away and making jokes that made the group laugh. Robin sipped at her tea daintily and both she and Zoro smiled at the antics of the crazy group. Even if they weren't the Chosen, it was difficult not to like them. It was strange being in the presence of humans without needing to kill them or to reach the humans you needed to kill… Zoro stopped that thought, as it was extremely morbid. But as he did so, Nami, who had been eating quietly while Luffy and Usopp bounced around, put down her glass with a little bit too much force, and looked at Robin intensely

"Robin. I'm sure your mysteriousness is no doubt part of your charm but I really need to sort out all of my thoughts... Can you give me a background on this world, tell me what the hell a 'Chosen One' is, and what Akainu is to you and to all of the people of this world?"

Robin sighed, and placed her tea cup on the table in front of her

"You can sit, Nami. I will tell you what I know."

Zoro closed his eyes. He already knew all of this stuff. But he still listened to her. "The planet you are on is called Riyadehn. The country you are also currently in is the country of Mirindiuel, directly next to the capital city of Bos. This is the year 1226. I have been studying about your world since I was a child, and can tell you we have several things yours does not. Among these things are Geists, Magic, and Celestine Weapons.

Nami cut in "What does magic entail for your kind here? And what are geists? And Cele...stine? "

Robin smiled "That actually opens up a good tangent for us to go into what exactly a Chosen is. I shall explain:

Here, blood is extremely important to us here. Not because of social status, as has happened sometimes in your world, but because of the powers it can potentially give us. Depending on our lineage, there is a certain percentage of a chance that we can gain the ability to develop great skills. Whether or not these powers emerge is only evidenced by our blood color changing from the traditional red color.

The skills one can develop fall into 3 main categories and therefore three main blood types. Sometimes there are variations, but these are extremely rare and therefore I will not go into them. The first is Logia, which allows the holder to develop their own unique magical power. Generally these are variations of elemental powers such as controlling wind and fire, but there are no studies which can solidly prove anything about them. Some people like to believe that the powers they develop say something about their personality, but again there is no evidence to prove this.

The second is the Zoan blood type. This blood type is green, and allows the user to bond with and control a geist, which is another word for a spirit animal. Geists are larger versions of their species, and are extremely powerful. If they sense Zoan blood in a person, they may choose to bond with their partners through the goddess of Creation, Danu. As a geists' partner, one can not only have an extremely powerful ally, but also transform into said animal, as well as speak to them telepathically.

The last blood type is the blue Paramecia. This is the blood of warriors, which makes the holder capable of developing unnatural skill with the weapon they chose as a child. The Paramecian blood types can also imbue a kind of magic through their weapons if their will is strong enough, giving their own weapons a voice and mind, which is then called a Celestine Weapon. For me in particular, this event is extremely moving since, depending on the weapon, it may have stories and advice that no other could give."

Robin paused for a moment to drink her tea. Zoro opened his eyes slightly to see Usopp and Nami open mouthed at Robin's information, and chuckled when he saw that Luffy wasn't paying attention and was still eating. Monkey. Robin placed her cup down again. "Now, onto your question of what a Chosen is. In the most simple terms, a Chosen One is someone, historically from your world, who is chosen by the Goddess Danu to fight against the evils of the world. What is special about these people is their blood."

Nami furrowed her eyebrow "What do you mean, our blood? None of our blood is weird colored like you guys."

Robin smiled. "Yes, in your world your blood is all red. However, the reason our blood changes color is because of the spirit and willpower flowing within it. Depending on what you as a person are like, that can translate into our world as one of our blood types. A Chosen One is someone who has all three blood types running through his veins, and for some reason is silver."

Zoro opened his eyes at that. So Kuina had been right after all. He was glad he didn't ignore the pillar of light when he saw it. Robin looked at Luffy as she spoke "The Chosen One is generally summoned when the world is in great distress. And with the reign of our ruler, Akainu, it seems that our Goddess believes his leadership will destroy the world."

Luffy perked up and finally began to listen to Robin at the mention of Akainu. Nami spoke quietly "And what is his leadership like?"

Zoro cut in this time "He kills those precious to you for things they didn't do wrong, and tries to control every facet of his country. He also made an alliance with other leaders around the kingdom that he calls "The World Government" and is trying to spread his idealism to every corner of the world."

Nami bit her lip "I… I think I get it now."

She turned to Luffy "Do you get it? About the Chosen I mean." Luffy scrunched up his face "It's a mystery power?"

Nami smacked her face into her hand before looking desperately at Robin "And so this idiot's your new Chosen One?"

Robin laughed "It appears so!"

Zoro smirked as Luffy laughed along with Robin and put his hand against his hat. "Shishishi!~ I don't really get it, but this means we can go beat up Akainu now right?"

Robin put her finger to her chin thoughtfully "Actually, you cannot."

Luffy visibly deflated and his face contorted into a childish pout "Ehhh why not?!"

Robin smiled gently at Luffy's tantrum "Well, to put it simply, you are not a match for Akainu just yet. He has honed years of power and allies to be at his disposal, while you neither geist, weapons, or magic. These are the things that make a Chosen One a force to be reckoned with in the first place."

Luffy puffed out his lower lip further and crossed his arms as he glared at Robin "So what am I supposed to do to get that stuff so I can go and beat him up?"

"We have to go to each of the Trinity, and ask for their blessing in order for each of your blood's properties to be awakened and realized."

Nami cut in again "Wait wait wait - The Trinity? Who are they?"

Zoro perked up - Ahh that was right he had been about to tell Nami who the Trinity were, before they were dropped down that hole… "The Trinity are the 3 disciples of Danu, who each have mastered their own respective abilities. We have to go meet the Geist Master first. I have heard from stories that he is..."

Wait that reminded him… Right before they had been dropped down the hole, something weird happened didn't it? The screaming? They couldn't speak… What had that been about? They had been so freaked out, Zoro hadn't noticed until now but…

"Oi Lady. Earlier. What happened to our voices?"

Robin stopped in the middle of her description of the Trinity and turned to Zoro "Excuse me?"

Zoro sat up "Before, when we were almost found by the watchguard. I let my hand off of Usopp's mouth, and I saw his throat moving like he was screaming. The same when we all fell too. What happened to our voices there?"

Everyone in the room blinked, having forgotten about the strangeness of that event. They all turned to Robin for an answer, and she chuckled lightly "Ah it seems you noticed then. Very well, I shall show you."

Robin crossed her arms over her chest and without a sign, the books in the room all flew out of their shelves and began dancing around the room. Luffy and Usopp cheered in awe, while Nami's eyes were simply wide in shock. The display went on for a few more moments before each book returned to its place and Robin set her hands back down in her lap "I have Logian blood passed down from my mother. And my ability is Psychokinesis."

Luffy scrunched up his face

"Psychokawhat?"

Robin smiled "I have the ability to move anything if my willpower is strong enough. When you all were in the tree, I simply closed your vocal cords shut so sound could not come out. It seemed logical at the time since a scream would have instantly given you away."

Zoro nodded "Makes sense"

Luffy cocked his head to the side "Well- You have an interesting power! So it's okay! Anyways let's eat more food! I love this stuff!"

Nami rolled her eyes and hit Luffy across the chest "Idiot! We need rest if we're going to beat up Akainu! Now let's go to sleep!

The group murmured agreement despite Luffy's protests, and Zoro settled for merely shuffling in his spot to get more comfortable.

As he watched each member of the strange new people he met fall asleep, he was surrounded not by the sound of crickets, but of gentle snores, and the shuffling of people in beds.

It was a strange feeling, but it reminded him of Kuina. And with a gentle smile at the thought of her face, he slowly drifted to sleep.

xxx

His mind, after silenced by sleep , came back to life in the form of his dreams. He did not dream of Kuina, but of the man with blonde hair. In his dream, he was still chasing the man, his clothing draping out behind him like a waterfall and his hair spilling light like the stars. Zoro's arm was out reached, trying to grasp the hand of the man. As he got closer and closer, his chest swelled in joy. He closed his grip on the man, but as he did so, the man turned into oozing blood, sliding out of his hands . His world was suddenly surrounded by blood, and he found himself drowning in it, the iron tang overwhelming his mouth.

He cried out, trying to swim against the current of blood, but it was so strong now!... He thrashed, trying to keep his head above the water, his eyes stinging as he was dragged down. As he desperately searched for a grip, something grabbed his hand. His world stilled, the blood losing its strength, and he looked at the hand. For some reason, the details of that hand burned itself forever in his memory. Slightly chapped, tan, scarred... Warm. It felt warm. It felt strange to have this feeling in himself. But although he was still ensconced in blood, he no longer felt afraid. The hand pulled him easily from the river of blood, and he felt warmth and light envelop him before he was jerked from sleep.

Zoro woke up with a gasp, the only things fresh in his memory were of blonde hair, blood, and a warm hand.

Zoro took a few calming breaths before he took in his surroundings out of habit, although he knew where he was. The room was mostly dark, lit by a few low-light oil lamps. He could see Luffy twisted in strange ways laying on top of Usopp and Nami, grinning and muttering like he was having the greatest dream ever. Zoro's mouth quirked into the smallest of smiles before he realized he could not see the woman Robin, and immediately tuned into his survival instinct, grabbing his swords quickly, in case of a betrayal from her- that included the Burrowers coming in to massacre them all... Yeah, he may be slightly paranoid...

The sound of a scratching noise got his attention and he found that Robin was in fact still here, tucked into the corner behind him, with yet another low lit lamp, scratching at a piece of paper with a feather pen.

"I will not betray you. You need not have fear of that."

Zoro flinched at the woman's words. How had she known that was what he had been thinking?

He did not respond, mostly out of embarrassment, and stood, walking over to her purposefully making a little noise while walking. She seemed to also have a paranoia of people, as she held a knife next to her as she wrote.

He walked over and sat by her desk. Only the slight raise of one of her elegant eyebrows suggested that Robin acknowledged his presence. He sat there without a word, unsure of how to speak to the strange woman. He supposed he would say the first thing on his mind

"Is he seriously the Chosen one?"

Robin's mouth twitched in the smallest of smiles, and nodded. Zoro grimaced. Although he had never considered himself terrible at holding a conversation, this one was proving difficult to uphold.

"How can you tell?"

Robin made a rather elegant flourish with her pen.

"Did you hear the voice of the ancients?"

Zoro's face twisted in slight confusion. Ancients? Kuina had mentioned the ancients were the Gods and Goddesses of olden times...

"Do you mean those weird voices singing?"

Robin nodded, speaking as she wrote.

"They are the voices of our deities as well as our ancestors. The one who spoke louder than all the rest was Danu... It is the one of the few times we are given recognition of our deities existence. Everyone in our world heard that voice. Honestly it should be proof enough of our new friends identity"

Zoro nodded slowly, still silent. Robin continued

"If you need further proof however, I think you can find it within your experiences with him in the past few hours."

Zoro looked up at that.

"What do you mean?"

Robin smiled and turned away from her writing for the first time, looking him dead in the eye. Zoro would have turned away had he been any other person, but he simply met her gaze head on, challenging. She went on regardless. "Do you remember when you first tried to fight us? You were so vicious, lashing out at everything like a wild tiger, but he only needed to put his hands in front of your swords, say a few words, and you backed down, just like that."

He furrowed his eyebrows "What the hell does that have anything to do with it?" Robin said nothing, but turned back to her writing.

As the sound of scratching filled the room again, her voice filled the spaces again. "According to my research of those Chosen by the goddess Danu, they all seem to show accounts of enemies and allies alike influenced in strange ways by the Chosen one. They write passages of enemies who seemed unmovable, and yet bowed to the chosen, and allies who seemed they would not assist the chosen, but felt moved in a way they did not understand, and helped with all their strength. You do not seem to be the type of person to follow the orders of a man you just met, especially one as... intimidating as him."

Zoro let out a low chuckle at Robin's purposeful irony. Luffy's was about as intimidating as a fluffy puppy begging for food. He nodded, conceding that Luffy was indeed the Chosen one.

But what did that mean for him?

They two fell into a strange silence, as though Robin was purposely giving Zoro the moment to think about his plans.

It almost made sense to go with Luffy. They had the same goal, and traveling to gain strength seemed a logical decision as well... But how could he? He didn't know them. How would be he able to sleep with not just one, but four people who he could not trust?

Robin spoke again, creepily matching her conversation to his thoughts once more

"He is a good person. You can tell just from meeting him. He won't hurt you."

Zoro grimaced, and closed his eyes again. He would think about this in the morning.

xxx


	4. Chapter 3

**Just wanted to let you know that the official update day will now be the first of every month :) Hope you enjoy!**

xxx

"So you and Robin are coming with us right?"

Zoro pressed his lips into a thin line, hoping Robin would answer so he wouldn't have to. It wasn't even 10 minutes into the day, and Luffy had _already_ jumped straight to the question he'd be dreading since last night, bouncing excitedly and making the cloak to hide his clothing flutter around him. Robin answered quickly, much to Zoro's relief. "Since I have been studying about you since I was a child, I would be honored to accompany you both to lend you my aid as well as to add to my research."

Luffy cheered "Yay! Robin is coming! You too, right Zoro?"

Zoro grabbed his swords and turned to Luffy. His mind had been scrambling trying to make a decision, but he shut down. He'd been working alone for too long. "I don't think so. I have my own goals to accomplish and to be focusing on. Plus, I barely know you."

Zoro finished swinging his pack onto his shoulders to find Luffy staring at him steadily. Nam and Usopp gave a small smile to each other, but Zoro ignored him and focused on Luffy. Although there was no discernible emotion in his eyes, Zoro felt a guilty chill go up his spine when Luffy spoke. "Why are you lying?"

Zoro furrowed his eyebrow, willing away the chill he had experienced "What the hell does that mean?"

Luffy crossed his arms "Yesterday. We were talking about Akainu and you told us what he is to you… He took someone away from you. Didn't he."

It was less of a question than a demand for information, and Zoro's throat tightened under the boy's questioning. He tore his eyes away, but Luffy kept talking. "I told you he killed my brother. He took away the most important thing in my life, and I hate him for it… I want to make him pay for hurting my brother, and hurting me. If he took someone precious from you too, you must feel the same way I do. So you have to come."

Zoro looked into Luffy's eyes, his throat constricting dangerously. He hadn't told anyone what had happened that night... Hell, he barely talked with anyone at all since the night he lost everything... Yet in this moment, he needed to speak. To tell... _Somebody_.

"He murdered my family."

He didn't know how this mysterious boy seemed to make him do things against his will: Allowing him to give him orders, talking about his past… He had never let anyone do that, much less a stranger. Yet, somehow... Luffy just did. He couldn't stop the sadness and pain leaking from his voice, or the words that poured out.

"He burnt down my home, killed my father, and raped my sister… He destroyed my life…"

He tuned out the rest of the group. He refused to acknowledge that they had all just heard that. So he focused on Luffy, waiting for a reaction. Luffy gave no reaction with his hat shadowing his eyes, but then he turned up to face him again, a smile stretched across his face "So, you're coming right?"

Zoro grimaced, blinking away his blurred eyesight before nodding harshly and turning away, gathering his swords. Damn idiot. Luffy laughed happily and put a hand on Zoro's shoulder, making him flinch. "Great!~ Well! Now that that's settled, let's head out!"

Everyone cheered, and they followed Robin to the exit of the burrow. They had a hard time in keeping Luffy quiet while they left; he was bouncing excitedly everywhere and waving at the eyes of The Burrowers. Finally, they made it back into that original cavern where they had met Robin, and the chief of the Burrowers was there waiting. He spoke again in his gravelly voice "The creatures of darkness have left the area. It is safe to return to the surface."

Robin nodded and placed her hand on the Burrowers shoulder "Thank you, my friend. I will keep you updated about the path of the world."

The Burrower bowed its head and stepped backwards, letting them pass.

Robin turned back to the group and spoke quietly "If you'll all stand around me, please." Everyone did as she said cautiously, and Zoro heard Usopp say from behind Robin "Oi- Robin- How are we going to-!"

At that moment, the world lurched forward and seemed to go darker than before. One moment they had been in the darkness of the tunnels, and now, they were all holding their eyes in pain as sunlight pierced them.

"Wahhh! My eyes!"

"Ohh yeah… That hurts…"

Zoro himself was squeezing his eyes shut in pain, allowing himself to grow used to the sunlight again. As the world came back into focus, he took in the group he had allowed himself to join…. What the hell had he gotten himself into?

Robin straightened her back and looked to the group "The capital is a 15 minute walk from here. I will lead you there." She began walking in the direction she had pointed towards.

At that comment, Nami straightened sharply as well and spoke in a harsh voice "What do you mean 'the capital'? Shouldn't we be avoiding that place at all costs?"

Robin nodded "It would be best to avoid it, yes, but we need supplies as well as clothing. The cloaks I have given you all are only temporary. The king is also out on business, so it is unlikely that we will meet copious amounts of trouble. No one knows what Luffy looks like either. The next city is a good weeks travel, and we won't make it to our destination without preparation." Nami nodded slowly and shifted her backpack on her shoulders, seemingly satisfied with Robin's answer.

Zoro spoke next "Wait- I've been in this forest for a week and I can tell you we're nowhere _near_ 15 minutes away from the capitol."

He had been expecting a reasonable answer of Robin checking her map and conceding that he was in fact correct, but that was not her reaction. Robin's eyes widened, almost comically; had Zoro not been so offended by her look of indignation, he might've laughed. Her voice was equally distraught "You've been here for a _week_?"

It was the most passion that he had heard her put into a sentence and he took a step backward, ready to speak in self-defense. But Robin allowed no mercy. "This entire forest is a days walk in all directions… How on _earth_ have you managed to be so lost?"

Zoro felt his face heat and snapped back "Hey! I'm telling you it's not like that! I don't get lost!" Luffy started laughing and Zoro grimaced "Hahaha Zoro, you suck at directions! How'd you get lost?" Zoro spun on his heel and started walking "Just you see that crazy witch is totally losing it! There's no way we're that close!"

Robin simply smiled her mysterious smile

"We're going the other way, Zoro."

xxx

Luffy was laughing even harder now that the gates were in view less than 15 minutes later. Zoro opted for covering his head with his hood, and glowering at anyone that looked in his direction, although he could hear all of their muted laughter. Robin joined in as well, but didn't comment about her being right, allowing everyone to take the capital in.

Although Akainu was insane, he was good at decoration. The capital was more beautiful than before, and it bustled with life. The entire city was made of beautiful stone, carved professionally, and had statues as well as fountains all around the city.

Robin walked through the city slowly, mostly to let the group gawk fully. Nami looked like she was glowing when she saw the clothing stores, and it took everything the group had just to keep Luffy from running away at the first scent of meat

"Please stay with us, Luffy. We have to check in at our inn first to gain our bearings before we go running off in all directions. In any other place I would let you roam free, but in this place, we must be careful."

It was only the promise of Robin personally buying him the best meat in the city that kept Luffy close, and soon, they found themselves in front of a quiet inn away from the busier parts of the city.

After purchasing a room, Robin led them all upstairs and they sat around her, Luffy bouncing impatiently on the bed as she explained what they would be doing in the city.

"Now, we are here for only 2 reasons. One, while I gave you all cloaks this morning, and they are indeed less attention grabbing than your own clothing, you all still draw onlookers. We must get you all clothes that match this world, as well as help defend yourselves.

Two, we need provisions and weapons. Our next destination is a 4 days journey away, and we must be prepared. I would like you all to stay here and discuss amongst yourselves the goals you will be setting for yourselves as you gain strength here. You will need to train if you have any hope of not only simply surviving, but defeating Akainu. You will not be able to return home until you do."

Nami's eyes widened "Wait what?! I mean- no- I kind of assumed but are you sure? Is there no way to go home?"

Robin frowned "As far as my research has gone, no Chosen has ever been reported to disappearing and saying they had been home for a while…"

Nami flopped on the bed and groaned "Ohh Nojiko's going to be so worried…

Robin sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder "If it helps, my research of the planets shows that the one you are from has a slower time change than ours does. A week here may possibly be a day or even simply hours."

Nami sat up slowly and looked off "I hope so…" She shook herself harshly, and a forced grin grew on her face "Anyways, while we chat here, you're going to buy us clothes right?"

Robin smiled and nodded "Yes. I will need to take all of your measurements. Zoro will be heading off to the market to buy the necessary provisions and some basic weapons for you all, as he has been in the capitol before, and has the right clothes." She looked at him sharply "You _do _know where the market is, correct?"

Zoro growled out a seething "Yes," but she just smiled and stood again.

"When I come back, you can all get changed and we can go to have a good meal before we head out tomorrow. And I'll get you that meat, Luffy."

Luffy cheered happily and bounced even more on his bed "Woo! Special mystery meat!"

A few minutes after some notes and measurements were taken, Robin turned away, nodding in Zoro's direction. "Shall we?" Zoro said nothing, but followed Robin out, leaving his crazy leader-of-sorts behind him.

xxx

Twenty minutes later, Zoro was in the market place. He grinned triumphantly when he first caught glimpse of the colored tents, and quickly walked into the market to buy the necessary provisions. Shopping was easy enough; he was used to buying things for long trips, and the large money bag that Robin had provided made him feel better about spending it. He quickly gathered up a week's worth of food, just in case the worst happened, and headed over to the weapons booth to get the others their first weapons. Zoro pulled out the small list that Nami Usopp and Luffy had written out together describing what they would like from a weapon.

'I dunno, something I can aim and shoot?' Zoro scowled at Usopp's indecisive language and roughly grabbed a bow and arrow from the stand after perusing the available ones.

'I've fought with a staff before. Something similar to that?' Zoro nodded at the straightforward request, and picked up an oak staff and looked at the last request

'Just get me whatever Zoro!' Zoro rolled his eyes and looked over all of the items available, trying to think of what Luffy would be likely to use… A hammer? No he was way too scrawny for that… A bow and arrow would be _absolutely_ out of the question with that monkey's aim… He _could_ use a sword maybe. He seemed like the kind of person to just rush out and attack in very straightforward fashion.

His eyes rested on a cutlass, and picked it up. Somehow, it felt like Luffy, and he decided that this was the one.

After paying the vendor for the weapons and strapping them to his side, Zoro turned to hear people cheering and saw that there was a procession going on.

At the head, he saw a caravan being carried by slaves, and inside was the Keeper of the Palace, Doflamingo. He had been occupying the castle prior to Akainu's claim to the throne, and had been allowed to keep it under terms of acknowledging Akainu as their king. But he was a shady man, who he had heard ran an underground business and was known for his cruelty to his slaves and to those who disobeyed.

As he watched the Keeper pass by however, his heart stopped.

There, walking behind the the main caravan, was the blond that he had seen in the forest. He had a gold chain locked around his neck, and his clothes were changed again to gold to match the other slaves with chains.

Why was he a slave? Why was he so complacent? Zoro had so many questions but no answers, and he backed away slowly with every ounce of willpower he had before turning and running back to the inn. Somehow, he managed to find it, and bolted inside to find Robin already there and the rest of them looked as though they were about to change into their new clothes.

"Zoro! You're back already!"

Zoro handed the bag of provisions to Robin, and gave each of the group their weapons before saying gruffly "I have to go. I'll be back tonight."

Robin started with a step towards him "No you have to stay here for-"

Luffy came up next to them and cut Robin off "It's alright Robin! It's important for Zoro. He'll be back soon!"

Robin blinked and looked in surprise at Luffy, but he was already laughing like always and clapped Zoro on the back "You go on ahead Zoro! And if you find any meat, bring me some!"

Zoro smiled and nodded before turning and bolting out of the door. He knew where to find the blond now.

xxx

It was nearly evening now, and Zoro had been scouting out the palace for a few hours. He had determined the room where the blond stayed in based off of the clothing he had found laying on the bed, but he had yet to actually find the man in question.

He wasn't actually sure what his plan was. All he knew was that the blond intrigued him, he was strong, and he didn't belong here. Somehow, he had to get him out.

Ahh he wished that damn monkey were here.

Zoro jolted, mentally berating himself for thinking of Luffy as even somewhat dependable, and climbed onto the balcony of the blond's room. Everything was tidy and well-kempt, but it seemed devoid of life somehow. Zoro looked around, and saw that there was a small door next to the vanity he saw.

He walked quietly toward the door, and opened it slowly. But looking inside, all he could see was darkness. He stepped in carefully, closing the door behind him, and peered through the gloom. As his eyes adjusted, he could now see that he was on what appeared to be ceiling rafters. He crawled through, and he could see small holes of light down below. The room under him looked like a luxurious performance arena, covered in soft cloth material and lush pillows.

From what it looked like, down below was a theater of sorts, and the holes were for actors to come down from. Zoro lowered himself down one of the holes on the edge of the room, and found himself behind curtains looking on the small performance arena. The room was made of lavender cloth, as was the floor. The seating went all the way around the room, focusing on the center, which was flat compared to the rest of the room.

This room was a mistake to come into. No one was here and nothing of value appeared to be here either. Just as Zoro made up his mind to climb up the curtains, he heard the door of the room open, and voices of many men flooded in. He made to bend quickly behind the curtain, and could see the outlines of the men entering. Including the man he had seen earlier.

Doflamingo.

He cursed his luck, and strained his ears, praying that they would leave soon. One of the men walked over to Doflamingo and clapped him on the back. "Hahaha Doflamingo, I must say this is the most enjoyable time I have had in Bos yet! I would be happy to support your new SMILES project!"

Doflamingo gave a wide smirk, gesturing to the room. "The capital thanks you for your service, Lord Minesh. But before we wrap up our day, I thought we should all have dinner and enjoy some entertainment."

The others in the room gave murmurs of agreement, and each of the men sat down on the comfy ottomans before a group of scantily clad women brought their food before them.

The men chatted amicably for what seemed like hours. Zoro dozed in and out, trying to wait out the men, when suddenly the lights dimmed and a sultry tune began.

Doflamingo stood and laughed, gesturing to the company. "I thought that since you all have given so much for our capital's newest project, that I would provide some entertainment. I do hope you enjoy."

Zoro furrowed his brow when two curtains fell from the ceiling, wondering what performance Doflamingo would be providing, and his eyes widened in shock as a pale body and blonde hair slid down sensually from the ceiling, holding the curtain with only one arm. It was him. The blonde.

He was dressed in new clothes, which clung to him even more than the ones from this morning, and were now dark blue, making his pale visage stand out even more than before, if it were possible. More skin was showing now too: He was no longer wearing a shirt, and was instead adorned with jewelry that made his body seem to sparkle as he slid down the curtain, and his pants billowed gently, making them seem like clouds on his body.

Doflamingo's guests oohed and ahhed. Clearly they appreciated the rarity of seeing the blonde man. Doflamingo spoke

"His name is Sanji, and he is one of the last existing Myrr in our kingdom. He is extremely talented, and will be performing for us tonight."

Zoro's eyes stayed locked on Sanji, and swallowed to get saliva into his dry throat from seeing what he was doing.

Zoro had underestimated the blonde's overall strength- He was able to hold onto the curtains, defying the laws of gravity as if it were nothing, and twirled his body around them, arching his back around his body in ways he never thought possible, punctuating each movement to the pulse of the music around them.

Too soon, Sanji's feet touched the floor, and he began dancing. Zoro stared wide eyed as the blonde's passionate eyes met his for a moment, and watched him gyrate his hips excruciatingly slowly, rotating each hand near his hip and going around the room, giving each man in the room a heated look, touching a few on the cheek and rubbing himself briefly on a man's knee. Zoro felt jealousy coil in his stomach, but froze when Sanji returned to the curtain. He reached up with his hands slowly, letting his back muscles tense deliciously, and wrapped one curtain around each hand before spreading the curtain out. He pulled himself up, and began to somehow _dance with the curtains. _ He spun around the room, using the leverage of the curtains to contort his body into shapes Zoro never thought possible, and he cursed quietly as he realized the erotic contortionist was causing his pants to tighten uncomfortably.

Slowly, the music began to fade, and as it did so, Sanji began to wrap himself up in the curtain until he was no longer visible, and the curtains lifted back into the ceiling with him inside. Doflamingo's guests were stunned into silence for a moment before they began clapping excitedly, cheering for the beautiful blonde man.

Zoro looked upwards. It was time to get out. Sanji, as he had found out he was called, was the only reason he was here, and he needed to get to him before it got too late. He climbed back up the curtains, praying that no one would notice his ascent with the group of girls now doing acrobatics distracting the company, and picked his way across planks of wood until he reached the door. It was still open, and he could see Sanji, walking to the vanity. He looked frustrated and sad, and was pacing, trying to unlock the necklaces around him.

"Need some help with that?"

Sanji jolted and stepped backwards. Zoro quickly closed the door. Even though music had started up again, he didn't want anyone to hear him.

"You! What the hell are you doing here you fucking bastard?!"

Zoro's grin widened "Oh so you do remember me!" He walked towards Sanji and sat on the vanity. "I've been looking for you, you know."

Sanji put a hand to his hip and sighed before bringing his hand to his face, rubbing his nose in frustration. He lowered his hand, giving Zoro the most beautiful heated glare he had ever seen, and walked to sit at the vanity beside him. He continued trying to remove his jewelry and spoke in a voice that suggested he had said this many times before.

"My value is 3,000,000,000 Rias, I am the last existing Myrr in your kingdom, and I am the property of Lord Doflamingo. Go ahead and try to kidnap me, but even if you could match me in strength, which I doubt, Doflamingo would probably go berserk and kill you. So, your life."

Zoro leaned back on the vanity, making sure to seem relaxed. He had to make Sanji trust him to get him out of here. "Idiot. I'm not interested in kidnapping you."

Sanji looked at him with a disbelieving glare

"Uh-huh, like I haven't heard that one before."

Zoro kept quiet for a moment, trying to think about how he could convince the blonde about his intentions. Sanji went back to the necklace and fought trying to get it off scowling in frustration, and Zoro stood, standing behind him

"I'll get it."

He gently worked the latches of the necklace, and noticed the blonde flinching whenever their skin brushed each other. Zoro looked on Sanji's neck, and saw a faint bruise on his collarbone. His eyes narrowed, and, as he looked on Sanji's vanity table, he saw used skin makeup laying there. He sighed and spoke in a soft voice "Sanji. They're hurting you, aren't they?"

Zoro felt him tense under his fingers, but Sanji didn't reply. "When I saw you, I could see that. Your clothes were all messed up. And..."

He licked his thumb, and dragged it over the dark spot on Sanji's collarbone. Sanji flinched and muttered "ow" under his breath, but Zoro ignored it, uncovering the yellowish purple bruise. "I saw these too. But you outran me this morning. Which means you're strong... So why would you let them do this to you?"

Zoro unlatched the necklace, and handed it to Sanji, who ripped it angrily from his hands before setting it on the table. Zoro sat back down at the vanity, and watched Sanji grab a wet clothes and angrily wipe it over his body, uncovering more and more bruises that he hadn't seen before. His eyes were shining, but Zoro didn't comment and waited for Sanji to speak. Sanji's hands slowed down, and he now gently patted at his skin

"What's your name?"

Zoro looked over at Sanji, beautiful even with so many bruises, and knew he had to get him out. He said his name, trying to shove every inch of passion and strength that he had in himself to show Sanji that he was worth trusting.

"Roronoa Zoro."


	5. Chapter 4

xxx

Usually, when Zoro held anyone's gaze for too long, they would turn away. People always became unnerved when he held their gaze; But it was important for Zoro to look into their eyes. They told so much about someone, and Sanji's certainly said a lot about him. When he turned his gaze on Zoro, he was stunned by the piercing blue color that looked back at him. But despite their clear color, they almost seemed stormy with how many emotions flicked past. Irritation, anger, frustration, passion, strength. And he never turned away. He held Zoro's gaze with a steadfast strength that blew him away, and he couldn't help but drown it.

Sanji tilted his head slowly to the side, as though he were contemplating the name "Zoro, huh?" He blinked, and turned his gaze back to the mirror, removing the last bits of jewelry from his body. He sighed, and sat back on the chair.

"Zoro, why are you even here then? If not to steal me?"

Zoro hesitated. He knew Sanji was being held here forcibly, and he knew he was being abused, but he didn't know how he'd react to the reason. He would be livid if some random stranger had the gall to declare a rescue mission. Swallowing to get the dryness out of his throat, he looked away from Sanji with embarrassment leaking from his voice "I came to get you out."

Sanji looked back, stunned "Get me out?"

Zoro nodded, and looked back at Sanji, his eyes searching for how Sanji would react to this madness.

He knew it was madness. He had never talked to the man before now, and he had only seen him twice. What gave him the right to talk like he was saving Sanji? How could he see him coming to 'save' him as anything other than a cover story for abducting an apparently valuable person?

Sanji sat back, staring at Zoro in disbelief "And… I'm supposed to believe that?"

Zoro sighed "I know it's hard to believe. I honestly don't get it myself, but I just know I have to get you out… Will you come with me?"

Sanji looked at Zoro for a few more moments, just looking into his eyes. Zoro wanted to believe that Sanji felt the same thing he did. A strange, unexplainable force making Zoro do all of these strange things. Ever since he had met Luffy, he had been doing _so many_ things that had no reason behind them but madness. And looking in Sanji's eyes, Zoro felt the same inexplicable pull. The connection lasted for only a few more moments before Sanji broke it by standing, a confused look in his eye "I know this is completely crazy, but I actually believe you… What's your plan?"

Zoro looked up at Sanji, absolutely stunned "You believe me?"

Sanji shrugged and walked over to his bed "I have no idea why, I would usually have killed you by now. For now though, my instincts are telling me to listen. Plan?"

Zoro looked questioningly at Sanji, and saw that Sanji was packing a small bag. What the hell? This was going way too quickly.

"Ah! Hey Zoro! I felt like you'd be here!"

Zoro jerked his head around to see Luffy climbing up the balcony, and Zoro lost it. "Luffy? What are you doing here?!" Luffy laughed and jumped toward them. He was changed into his new clothes that Robin bought him; He looked a lot more a part of this world than he did before. He walked towards Zoro "Well, we ate dinner and you still didn't come back! Robin says she wants to leave tonight because apparently this flamingo guy is here? Anyways, apparently he's really dangerous and she doesn't want to start up any trouble, so we have to leave! But you weren't here so I went to find you! Then I did!"

Zoro was dumbstruck "How the hell did you find me? I didn't tell anyone where I was?"

Luffy shrugged "I guessed!" He looked over at Sanji "Ohh hey! Blonde! You must be the blondie!"

Sanji was equally as dumbstruck as Zoro and pointed at himself, as if trying to confirm that Luffy was talking to him "The… The blondie? He's talked about me?"

Luffy laughed "Haha no no Zoro barely talks! But he said 'stupid blondie' in his sleep last night, and you're blonde!" Sanji took a step back from his packing and smirked at Zoro "So I'm in your dreams now, huh Marimo?"

Zoro felt his face heat up and snarled at Sanji "Obviously not! I don't remember that at all!" He shook himself and stood up "Anyways, we're running out of time. The music stopped."

Sanji jolted and went back to packing. Zoro turned to Luffy. He needed to make sure Luffy would be okay with Sanji. Somehow it felt like he would, but he needed to check. "I know that you don't know him. Honestly I don't either. But he needs to get out of here. With us. Tonight."

Luffy nodded, before giving Zoro a blindingly bright smile "I know!"

Zoro gave Luffy a startled look, shocked again by the almost unbearingly pure and simple way Luffy thought about things. He quickly regained his composure and sighed before giving Luffy a small smile. It seemed that this strange boy would always be an enigma to him. He turned back to Sanji "You ready, blondie?"

Sanji swung a rucksack over his shoulder, with a dark cloak covering his hair "As ready as I'll ever be, idiot" Zoro grinned and turned to Luffy "Okay, we're ready to go!"

xxx

Zoro had no idea how they had made it all the way back to the inn with Luffy's noise levels, but they had, and everyone was waiting for them. They looked so much better in their new clothes, and simply had the air of travelers leaving in the night rather than that of overly suspicious characters. Robin stepped towards them, putting a finger to her mouth, signaling for quiet. "Who is he?" Her whisper was laced with distrust and worry, but Luffy put a hand to her shoulder, speaking a little louder than a whisper "He's coming with us! Let's go" Robin sighed before smiling, and nodded.

She turned to Zoro, and spoke in a low hush again "Just follow me. We're getting out through the east gate. It's closest to our next destination. Be quiet above everything else, and we should be fine.

Zoro nodded, and they set out. He hoped above hope that Doflamingo would not check in on Sanji's room until they were far away from his cruel grasp.

He had heard about the horrors of how Doflamingo treated his prisoners, and now realizing that Sanji had belonged to him, was extremely impressed that he came out so strong-willed even with the kind of treatment he must have gotten.

The man in question walked slightly in front of him. In the moonlight, it was barely discernible, but Zoro could see a slight tremble in his figure. He put a hand on Sanji's shoulder, and squeezed gently. He didn't dare look over, but instead began walking at a faster pace that placed him next to Sanji. He felt a gentle bump on his shoulder, and knew that Sanji had accepted what he had given. With the cover of the night, he chanced a small smile.

Ten minutes later, the gates came into view, and the tension in the silhouettes of his companions was apparent. Before they were within sights of the guards, Robin turned to the group. "Please let me do the talking. Act tired, and if they ask you directly about why were are leaving, we were here to see the market, and were called away by urgent family matters. Do _not_ react to any insulting words they may say."

As she finished speaking, her face morphed. She was no longer the beautiful raven haired woman they had come to know, and her body became stooped. Her hair was tangled and grey, and she gained the wrinkles of a ferocious-looking middle aged woman. Usopp and Nami gasped in fright, but the old woman smiled in a way they knew only Robin could smile. Robin placed a hand placatingly on Nami's shoulder, and when they relaxed, she turned and began walking to the gates. The group followed after her, shaking themselves and readying themselves to act as Robing had requested. The guards saw her, straightened, and approached her when they got to the gate.

"What is your business with the gatekeeper, crone?"

Zoro felt Sanji tense next to him, and grabbed his wrist to remind him of Robin's orders. The thin wrist he held relaxed, and the fist unraveled slowly into a relaxed position.

Robin shook her tangled mane, and straightened her stooped back, giving an especially terrifying look that reminded Nami of the look that her mother had given her when she said something wrong. "If you think I'll answer to you when you question me like that young man, you've got another thing coming! I'll ask you to rephrase your question."

The man was wide-eyed, and trembled slightly before shifting and speaking again "Very well. What business do you have leaving our city at nighttime, Madame?"

Robin nodded approvingly "Much better. Now. If you must know, we came here to enjoy the marketplace for the first time in years, but we got word that my old ma is getting worse. We had to cut our humble vacation short and head back immediately before she gets any worse, if it pleases you."

The man nodded and straightened "I understand. And these people with you are?"

Robin waved a hand non-committedly at them "The family to escort me obviously. The kids wouldn't see their own ma head into the heart of the city without some care. Stupid brats. These are my grandkids and nephew. They came with me.

He nodded again, and stepped aside "Very good. Good luck with your mother and safe travels."

Robin cackled and nodded her head at him "Yes yes, safe travels indeed. Perhaps we will find a caravan to leech onto to protect from wild animals and thieves, since snotty brats like you will not. Goodnight, young man."

She walked past him and Nami yawned before bowing her head in thanks "Sorry about her she has… Personality."

The guard chuckled nervously "Haha... Yeah tell me about it. Good luck." Nami smiled nervously as well. "I'll need it. Thanks." Usopp and Luffy simply nodded at the guard, and Zoro grunted out a thanks to the young man to finish the facade. They walked out of the gates, and heard them close behind. They walked for another dozen yards before Robin spoke quietly, her voice returned to that of a young woman. "Continue walking normally. We must go on like this until we are out of sight. We must stay on the main road so as not to gain attention before changing course and going into the forest."

The group walked in silence for almost 15 minutes before they found they were out of sight. The moment they were, Robin veered sharply to the left to go into the forest. As they approached the forest line, she stopped sharply "Doflamingo has learned of your escape." She turned to Sanji, once again in her normal appearance, and he froze visibly. She turned again and gave harsh commands "We must run. He can send any number of enemies against us and we cannot afford to be caught. If we can make it to our destination, the magic there will protect us from detection."

She broke into a run, and the rest looked at one another. No one knew how she was aware of the goings on of Doflamingo, but they decided to go along with it once they heard a blood-curdling shriek ring out into the night, and they ran.

10 minutes later, they were all exhausted, running slower than before. Usopp was heaving greatly, taking gasps of air that rung throughout the forest around them. Zoro gritted his teeth and whispered harshly up to Robin "We have to stop. This idiot's going to breath us right into capture!"

Robin nodded, and began slowing down "It should be over this ridge. Let us hope all goes well." They all fell back into fast walk, listening closely for signs of the creature the shriek had come from chasing them, and they walked over the ridge to see a beautiful pond, silver in the moonlight. A single tree hung over it, with small glittering lights in it's branches.

Nami sighed at the beauty of the small pond "Ohhh what is that?"

Robin turned to the group, finally smiling once again, and gestured to the pond "One of the Trees of Danu. These are oasis' blessed by Danu in the Dark Days, protected by her holy magic. The magic here should keep away all but Arwyn herself."

Nami chuckled, walking over to the tree "And who is Arwyn?"

Robin sat next to the pond, laying out her belongings "The Goddess of Death and Darkness."

Nami grimaced "That doesn't sounds like fun." Robin smiled gently "No, but Arwyn has not played her part in our world for several hundred years, and hopefully will remain so in these dark times. We can sleep peacefully here tonight."

The group murmured agreement, and all sat by the pond, silent. No one spoke. Perhaps they were exhausted from their run, but what was more likely is that they felt it. They could _feel_ the energy here that was different from what they had experienced before. It felt as though the air was charged with an almost gentle power. It made no sense, but they all felt calmed and relaxed, ensconced in peace. After a few moments however, Luffy broke the spell.

"Well, that was a fun adventure! Sanji! Make me meat!"

The group turned to Sanji now, who looked up, confused at all the sudden attention. Nami made a move first, smiling and speaking happily to him "Ohh so that's your name! I've been wondering this whole time!" She crawled over and reached out a hand to him "It's nice to meet you, Sanji! I'm Nami!"

Sanji smiled and reached a hand out gingerly to her "Nice to meet you too!" After that, the clamor of introductions began. How Luffy had known that Sanji had been a chef before being captured by Doflamingo, Zoro would never know. But, after tasting the food that he had made, Zoro was so glad that he had decided to get him out. The food was _amazing. _But no way would he tell that to him face to face: The blond would never let him forget it.

After eating what felt like his first meal in months, Zoro and the others gathered around the strange tree and slowly one by one, drifted off into a deep sleep.

xxx

Zoro didn't know what stirred him, but he awoke in the middle of the night, feeling a curl of cold dread in his chest. Around him, he still felt the aura of the tree, calm and soothing. Luffy Usopp and Nami all slept in a pile, smiling and sleeping gently. Robin was propped against the tree, dozing elegantly even in her sleep, and Sanji was curled up a few feet away from him, making him look isolated despite the calm smile on his face. Everyone seemed fine, so why was his heart beating so fast?

Zoro felt a strange pull, the same one he had felt seeing Sanji. It felt like instinct, and he felt inclined to follow it. Standing, he picked up his swords and strapped them in. He toed over to Luffy, and shook his arm "Luffy… Luffy!"

Luffy shook his head sleepily before blearily looking up at Zoro "Zoro? What's up?"

Zoro breathed deeply, trying to keep his heart rate down "I feel like something's wrong. I'm going to check out the area. If there are any loud noises or I don't come back, wake up the rest of the group alright?"

Luffy grinned and nodded "I gotcha! Like a mystery mission?" He smiled despite himself "Yeah, like a mystery mission. I'll be back." Luffy nodded and sat up, yawning in the process.

Zoro took off, running where he felt he needed to. He didn't know how this newly found instinct stuff worked, but it had been helpful to him before, and he wasn't about to ignore it.

What he found 5 minutes later made him stop in his tracks. There, next to a cliff face, was rows upon rows of cages, each with a unique sound roaring out into the night. Walking up and down the rows were soldiers, who every once in a while threateningly stabbed into the cage, inciting the growls of full-grown Geists.

Zoro had never seen a geist before, but how the soldiers managed to threaten them without fear was unknown to him. From looking at the cages quickly he could see a bear, panther, wolverine and tiger all growling furiously at the soldiers and all gargantuan sizes compared to their normal-sized relatives.

Didn't Luffy need a geist? Why were they all being held against their will here? Was freeing them what his insane subconsciousness was trying to tell him to do?

From his peripherals, Zoro could see two men laughing and coming to approach him with trays of food in hand. He quickly hid fully behind the tree he was next to, and listened intently, trying to understand what these soldiers meant to do with these geists.

One man sat on the log, continuing the conversation they had been having "But seriously Rihn, you'd never think that we'd be ordered around to capture geists of all things! What do you suppose Caesar wants with these animals?"

The man named Rihn sounded as though he were eating, and only after the noticeable sound of a gulp passed did he speak "Well… Don't tell anybody that I heard, but I heard that they're going to be experimented on…"

A sound of awe came from his companion "Woah, seriously? I mean, it's dangerous enough trying to transport these infernal creatures. How are they expecting to be able to experiment on them without getting killed? Any idea what for?

More sounds of eating "Nah, only that it's supposed to help the war effort against the rebellion. Although I don't know why they should put any effort into them at all it's not as though there's much of a rebellion to begin with..."

A sigh came from the first man "Wow Cutty Flam is going to be devastated when he hears about this. He was already a wreck enough when we confiscated these things… Anyways, guess we just finish up this assignment and get back home huh? How's Emmy doing anyways?"

"Ah, she's doing great. She's due in a few more months. Her sister's come and has been helping around…"

Zoro knew enough now. He crawled out of earshot of the campsite, and quickly headed back to the the tree where everyone else was.

Luffy was still awake, and waved excitedly at Zoro as he rounded the hilltop "Hi Zoro!~ How'd your secret mission go?" Zoro smiled and headed down the hill "Good. I found something we need to do." Luffy grinned and hopped excitedly "Ohh! What is it what is it?"

Zoro looked to everyone else "First, we need to wake everyone. I think this requires a team effort." Luffy nodded and began helping Zoro wake everyone up, and Zoro told them what he found and his plan.

xxx

Zoro found himself half an hour later in a tree above the encampment of captured geists. They had decided upon capturing the soldiers, and to do that, they needed to time this properly. Although it would technically be easier to just take all of the soldiers out, they were only following orders. It didn't seem fair to sneak attack and hurt them for that.

Zoro looked across the way at Robin. She was the one who would be giving him the signal. Looking down quickly, he confirmed that they should be moving soon. Robin, when they first arrived, noticed a pattern in the movement of the soldiers, and had decided to sneak attack that largest groups of soldiers, then take out the ones on break after.

The two men that had been chatting earlier were now within attacking range. He looked again at Robin, who smiled before raising her hand, and threw two parcels down to the group, the signal.

As soon as they touched the ground, they exploded into sprays of colored fire, sparkling and making loud screaming noises. Zoro and the others then simultaneously threw down the smoke pellets that Robin had also given them, adding to the mayhem of the scene, before jumping down to the men he would be facing. The two laid back men, who had been chatting so amicably before, went into defense mode too late, and Zoro quickly knocked them out with the back of his sword. Looking to the side quickly, he could see that the others were succeeding similarly, and went onto the next part of his mission.

He ran to the cages, and stood in front of the tiger he had seen yowling at the soldiers earlier. Now it seemed pensive, and eyed him carefully. He felt strange, as though it could see inside of him, but he ignored it for now. He calmed himself in the midst of the raucous scene. Taking a deep breath, he focused all of his energy into cutting the cages. He had done it once before, cutting metal, but that had been almost half a year ago, and he hadn't had an opportunity to try again. But now it was time. Opening his eyes, he cut through the air, pushing all of his strength and power into his arms, and he could feel the air splicing with the slash.

Moments later, the cages' bars split and broke, leaving the fronts of the first rows of geists free. He gave the tiger a cocky grin before running to the next row, determined to get the cages completely freed before the others finished incapacitating the soldiers.

He continued on in this fashion. Many of the geists were yowling and roaring at him in anger, but he continued on. Only a strange blue tinted wolf gave him the same curious stare that the tiger had, but he couldn't linger on that longer. He was on the last row of cages, lined up by the cliffside, and he wanted to finish.

Just as he sliced open the last of the cages, he heard a grunt of effort behind him. At the last moment, he fell to the side, narrowly dodging an axe that swung into the ground. He looked up at the man who had used the axe. A very broad-shouldered soldier who looked more like the leader

"So, you just thought you'd come and take these beasts for yourself did you? But then I suppose you didn't expect to be attacking the company of the Great Morgan!"

The man sounded haughty, and although he had great muscle mass, his attack of digging his axe into the ground seemed to have no control.

The man called Morgan grunted again, pulling his axe out, and Zoro scrambled to his feet just in time to avoid the horizontal slice that would have decapitated him. He moved backwards, ready to pull out his swords, when he felt his footing slip, and suddenly, Morgan was becoming smaller.

Shit.

He had fallen.

As he was falling, he heard yells calling his name, very much like when Kuina screamed his name as the King's soldiers cut open his throat. He cursed himself. How could he let this happen? Over a stupid fucking cliff? He found himself still falling, and realized there would be no hope of survival once he landed. Just as he unbuckled his swords to protect them against his chest as Kuina had once done, he heard a yowl above the cries of his name, and opened his eyes to see the tiger geist he had freed only moments before jumping over the cliff after him. It's paws connected on his chest, and he jolted when he heard a female voice crystal clear inside his head.

"I bond with you under the Great Mother's eye!"

All of a sudden, his vision was filled by a blinding blue light, and he was standing in a field of white grass. Across the way, the tiger stared back into his eyes, sitting elegantly on her haunches.

He looked around frantically. Where was he? He had just been falling! And, with a quick look down at himself, he found himself without clothes. He gave a bewildered look to the tigress, standing there proudly, looking to her left. He followed her gaze to see a woman walking towards them.

There were no proper words to describe her. She seemed young, yet she seemed to be as old as the earth itself; She was petite, yet she seemed to tower above him. Behind her, long flowing hair of many colors moved without regard to the laws of the world with her dress made of shimmering material. She stopped in between them, with her hands outstretched to the both of them. Zoro stared at her for a moment, and then reached out his own hand, clasping his with hers.

The tiger did the same, and nudged her paw into the smaller hand of the woman.

She smiled at both of them.

"I give you my blessing. You, both so strong in spirit and strength, may be able to help one another grow in friendship."

She placed their hand and paw together, and kissed each. She began to slowly fade away again, and his mind was filled with just one word.

Jacinda.

The world filled with color again. He could feel the earth rush around him, the air swirling above- he could see the charge of energy that filled the entirety of the planet with life.

The feeling of complete clarity and awareness threatened to overwhelm him, and as it swelled up within him, he thought he might die. But just as it became too much to handle, he opened his eyes, and suddenly, he found himself once again falling, the tigress pressing down on his chest.

She roared excitedly, yet he heard words "Come now, small _Artechai_! Turn your body! We will land properly before going to finish this battle!"

Zoro opened his mouth to retaliate to the insane tiger, but along with his words, he heard growls as well "What the hell do you mean?! What's an artechai?!"

But he got no response. The tigress forcibly turned him, and he realized he was about to meet the earth. Yet, as he clenched his body, preparing for a harsh landing, he realized that in front of him was not hands, but rather giant paws!

He had turned into a tiger!

This was his last thought before once more, instinct seemed to take over. His body arched on its own, taking the impact in his fore paws before distributing it along his body. He then swung around in synchronization with the tigress, and together they bound up the mountain side.

What a feeling this was! His eyes saw more, his ears could go father, and he could feel _his _giant claws dig into the earth as he climbed up the cliff face. He pulled at the last edge of earth, and came up to see the bewildered face of the man with the axe. He gave a war cry, in which he could also hear a great roar, and attacked.

Morgan was no match for him now, and Zoro easily bested the man before pinning him to the ground. Morgan's face was frozen in fear, and Zoro roared in his face, allowing each tooth to show, and his claws to dig painfully into Morgan's pinned limbs.

Zoro breathed heavily, invigorated by the power he felt. So_ this_ was what it meant to be a tiger!

He looked down once more upon Morgan, and found that he had passed out. Whether it was from the pain of being pinned, or the fear in being so absolutely overpowered by a tiger, he did not know. But he slowly backed off the unconscious human, and took in the scene around him.

The rest of the group was nearly done taking over the camp. But, a few steps away, he could see Sanji, on his knees, looking desperately up at Zoro.

He looked afraid.

Zoro backed away. Was he so repulsive now? Despite not really knowing Sanji, knowing that he had been enough of a monster to frighten the powerful man made Zoro's stomach clench uncomfortably.

Sanji rose slowly, not breaking eye contact with Zoro. The tiger slowly backed away, not wanting him to be further in fright of his new form. Yet, despite this, Sanji walked towards him, a hand reached out. Zoro, frozen by confusion, did not move, and Sanji closed the distance between them before pulling Zoro's tiger form into a hug.

"You're alive."

All tension in Zoro's shoulders relaxed. Sanji hadn't been frightened of _him._ He had been frightened that Zoro had died when he fell off that cliff.

A warm feeling blossomed in Zoro. He felt it unravel within him and spread throughout his entire body. He hadn't felt this in so long. Not since that fateful day that Kuina and her father had found him, taken him into their home. He hadn't realized how much he missed and desired it. The feeling of knowing that someone cared whether you lived or died. Cared enough to make sure you stayed on earth with them.

He was loved.

He relaxed into Sanji's embrace, and nuzzled him gently, nosing against Sanji's hair and resting his weight upon him.

In this moment, he felt complete as he had not felt for nearly 8 years.

xxx

Soon, the camp was completely taken. Morgan and his unit were tied up, and Zoro approached his group with the tigress.

He looked over at her, and spoke "Is your name Jacinda?"

She turned her head, cockily showing off her gargantuan teeth "I am indeed the greatest and most powerful tigress alive, Jacinda! And you are Zoro. The _artechai_ I have chosen as my bonded partner!"

Zoro shook his head, completely exasperated by the tigress' ego. "Like I said, what the hell's an artechai?"

She looked at him in confusion. "They are what you and all the other furless creatures are called by our kind. Most are too scrawny in spirit to even be considered for bonding, but a few of you yet have the will to be deemed worthy of our strength."

Zoro nodded before he looked to his other side. Sanji was walking next to him, his hands entwined with Zoro's fur. He had not left his side, though Zoro wasn't complaining.

He looked past the group, and could see the freed geists waiting. Zoro spoke again to Jacinda. "Can we tell them that they are free? We don't need them for anything. If none of them want to bond with Luffy, then they can just go."

Jacinda shrugged "You can now speak with all geists. Feel free to tell them."

Zoro nodded, and as he reached his group, who stared questioningly at him, he growled at the geists. "Unless you wish to bond with our group, you are free to go. Take care to not be captured again by the _artechai_. They have plans for manipulating and changing the bodies of geists for their own gains. Do not give that to them. Spread the word of the _artechai's _ schemes!"

Murmurs rippled from the geists, and the blue wolf stepped forward. "We thank you and your comrades for freeing us. Your actions will not be forgotten. We will spread word of the plans of the dark _artechai_. It seems a great change has come upon the land."

Murmurs once more rippled through the group, and some of the geists' bowed their heads in thanks. Moments later, the group began to thin as one by one, the geists' turned away and escaped into the forest. As the minutes passed, only the blue wolf remained.

"I would like to join you. What with the changes the world has endured in the few months past, I would like to embark with the Chosen's group in order to do my part to fulfill Danu's wishes." The blue wolf walked elegantly toward Zoro, but then looked to his left. To Sanji.

"Young _artechai._ In you I see boundless love and passion that reflects my own. I would like to bound with you under the Great Mother's Eye, and share in our strength as we go forward in this great journey." She bent down, and touched noses with Sanji before they were engulfed in a blue orb. The orb went into the earth, and they disappeared.

Zoro looked frantically at Jacinda. "What happened to them? Where's the blondie?" Jacinda snickered at him "They are undergoing the same rite we went through. They'll be up in a few minutes. Shall we change form?"

Zoro looked in confusion at Jacinda. She grinned toothily once more "Just think about being a young _artechai_ again. You'll undergo transformation easily enough.

She suddenly became light itself, and she shrank until she became the size of a human, dark haired and tatooed. Zoro grimaced. All of this was too much too quickly… But he wanted to speak with Luffy as soon as possible about what he had seen in what he was sure was Danu, so he did as Jacinda said and thought of his human form. He felt a warmth grow in his chest, and soon, he felt his form change. He looked back up, and saw Luffy running towards him before taking him into a gripping bear hug "Zoro! I knew it was you! How did you turn into a tiger?! That's sooo cool!" He kept babbling, circling around him like he might find some sort of magic switch that would turn him back into a tiger.

Zoro stood in shock for a few moments before looking at the rest of the group. Everything had happened so fast, but would they respond well? Would they be okay with him now being part tiger?

But their faces only shone with gladness in this moment. Nami rushed up to him and hit him before saying she was glad he wasn't hurt, and Usopp did the same, saying he was ready to jump off the cliff if need be, but since Zoro hadn't needed the assistance, he was proud. Robin smiled, watching over them with a gentle strength.

Zoro breathed a sigh of relief. Somehow, along the way, this strange group of people had wormed their way into his heart, making him care.

He looked backwards as thoughts of slender hands trembling around his neck came into his minds eye, but instead of a blonde, he was faced with a wolf, tinted blue, with fur twisted in strange ways that reminded him of the ocean. He looked into its eyes, and saw the same storm he had found when he convinced Sanji to come with them just hours ago. And he smiled.

Somehow, he had found a home.


End file.
